


You're My Everything

by HopeMikaelsonClarke



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aunt-Niece Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-compliant Death, Discussed Sexual Content, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female Friendship, Human AU Meets Canon, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 90,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23109385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeMikaelsonClarke/pseuds/HopeMikaelsonClarke
Summary: Freshly turned 15 year old inactivated Tribrid, Hope Mikaelson meets 20 year old human, Ryan Clarke at the local bookstore. They are instantly drawn to each other.
Relationships: Davina Claire/Kol Mikaelson (mentioned), Freya Mikaelson/Vincent Griffith (friendship), Hayley Marshall/Freya Mikaelson (friendship), Hayley Marshall/Hope Mikaelson (mother-daughter relationship), Hope Mikaelson/Freya Mikaelson (aunt-niece relationship), Hope Mikaelson/Klaus Mikaelson (father-daughter relationship), Keelin Malraux/Freya Mikaelson, Marcel Gerard/Rebekah Mikaelson, Ryan Clarke/Hope Mikaelson
Comments: 49
Kudos: 85





	1. Hope's Birthday Disaster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ElijahsElena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElijahsElena/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Hope is Where the Heart Is](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22034083) by [ElijahsElena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElijahsElena/pseuds/ElijahsElena). 



> Disclaimer: I don’t own Legacies. This story is inspired by ElijahElena’s story, Hope is Where the Heart Is.
> 
>  **Bold** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on the phone.  
>  **Bold** text by itself is the person not present in the scene that's texting.  
>  _Italic_ text by itself is the person present in the scene that's texting.  
>  _Italic_ text in single quotes is a person's thought.

It was Hope’s 15th birthday and her mom and Aunt Freya had come to Mystic Falls from New Orleans to take the young Tribrid out for the day. The three women headed to the Mystic Grill for lunch, walked around Town Square for a little bit and did some shopping. Hope was already getting worn out from the day and was ready to head back to the school when she passed the bookstore and asked if they could go inside. Not seeing a reason to say no, Hayley and Freya nodded and the three headed inside. While her mom and aunt looked around at a bit of everything, Hope made a beeline for the Young Adult section.

Hope knew which book she was looking for, and she immediately found the aisle that had the author’s last name, but as luck would have it, the book she wanted to get was on the top shelf, and even with her heeled boots, and standing on her toes, the book was just out of her reach. Hope was ready to either climb on the small ledge or use magic to get the book down, but before she could do either, a hand was lightly placed on her hip before another hand reached above her head to grab the book she had been reaching for. She wanted to be pissed. Because how dare this taller person so rudely grab the book that she was clearly reaching for, but the book was lowered directly into her outstretched hand and then the person stepped back from her, taking the hand from her hip.

“You know, you could’ve asked… if I…” Hope trailed off as she turned to find a cute, slightly older, guy giving her a lopsided grin.

“Did you not need help? Because if I misread the annoyed look on your face at the book being _just_ out of your reach, I can easily put the book back.” The guy said, continuing to smile lopsidedly at Hope as he leaned back against the bookshelf behind him, his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded across his chest.

“Do you like, work here, or do you make it a habit of pressing yourself against the bodies of underage girls without their consent?” Hope asked.

“First of all, I do actually work here, my name is Ryan. Second of all, I placed my hand on your hip, I did not press against you. Not that either of those actions are appropriate, so I do apologize.” Ryan replied, clearing his throat and standing up straight.

“It’s um… it’s okay. You just didn’t want me to back up into you, right? And you moved away without your hand having wandered, so I won’t press charges or anything.” Hope responded, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“May I know the pretty, underage girl’s name?” Ryan asked.

“Hope. My name is Hope.” Hope replied.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hope. As I mentioned, my name’s Ryan. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Ryan asked as his eyes quickly roamed over Hope’s body.

“Your number?” Hope inquired in a small voice before ducking her head and biting her lower lip.

“Only if you give me yours as well.” Ryan replied, his voice even though his eyes were wide.

“Of course.” Hope replied with a small nod.

Hope watched as Ryan pulled a pad of paper and a pencil out of his pocket. When he stopped just before placing the tip of the pencil to the paper and looked up at her, Hope’s breath caught in her throat.

“Before we exchange numbers, I need to ask… just how old are you?” Ryan asked.

“15… as of today.” Hope replied.

“And this isn’t like… a jailbait scenario, is it?” Ryan inquired.

“God, no!” Hope squeaked out. “I just… I don’t have many friends, and I’d like to talk to someone on my birthday who isn’t related to me.” She explained. “And you seem like a nice enough guy. You _did_ help me get the book down that I couldn’t reach and then immediately backed away.”

“A pretty girl like you definitely shouldn’t to be alone on her birthday. So if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.” Ryan commented as he handed Hope his number and then the paper and pencil so that she could write her number down as well.

Once she had finished writing her number, Hope slipped the paper into the front pocket of Ryan’s jeans and lightly tugging him closer to her. When she had him close enough, Hope pushed herself up onto her toes and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. Ryan clenched his hands into fists at his sides. He wanted to pull her into him, wrap his arms around her petite frame and just hold her close. But he couldn’t. So he held back from touching her, only letting his lips brush against her forehead in a light kiss when she moved far enough away that he could turn his head.

“Text me when you’re able to.” Hope murmured as she grabbed the book and turned to walk away.

“Hey… whenever you need to talk to someone, no matter what time it is, you text me. Don’t be afraid to initiate the conversation.” Ryan replied. “And if we don’t talk for the rest of the day, Happy Birthday, Hope.” He added with a smile.

Hope nodded and walked away to find her mom and aunt. As she was walking towards them, she pulled out her phone and went to put Ryan’s number in her contacts, but she couldn’t find the paper he had given her. Turning around to head back to the aisle, she collided with a solid chest, causing her to stumble.

“Easy there, Hope.” Ryan commented as he reached out to steady her before quickly dropping his hands.

“Sorry… I, uh, I dropped the paper you gave me, so I was going back to grab it.” Hope replied, her cheeks flushing.

“I noticed, which was why _I_ was coming to find _you_ so that I made sure you had it before you left.” Ryan replied, slipping his number into Hope’s hand. “You unfortunately don’t have a pocket that I can slip it into.” He added in a whisper.

Hope’s cheeks flushed a deeper red at Ryan’s words and she simply stared at him, mouth slightly open, with a dazed look in her eyes. But as Ryan stepped back to put some distance between them, Hope realized she was the only one out of the two of them that was showing any outward signs of how their closeness was affecting them. Ryan looked completely _un_ -affected as he gave her another lopsided grin.

“If you ever need any recommendations on a good book, feel free to stop by. I’ll gladly offer my expertise.” Ryan said with a hidden wink that Hope could have sworn she imagined.

“Uh, thank you. That would be really helpful.” Hope replied, not entirely sure what else there was to say.

As Ryan walked around her towards the register, Hope couldn’t help but look over her shoulder to watch him walk away. Damn he was gorgeous. She didn’t even care that he was human, he was the perfect example of the male specimen, and not just because of his boyish good looks. No… he was respectful and comfortable to be around. By the time Hayley and Freya joined her, Hope had turned around to actually face Ryan and was full on staring at him while biting her lower lip. She really hoped this wasn’t just some silly teenage crush. She wanted to get to know him, and his life, while sharing what she could with him about her life.

“He’s cute. Maybe a bit too old for you _right now_ , but maybe in a few years…” Freya commented as she followed her niece’s gaze.

“He’s human, Freya, even if age wasn’t a factor, there’s no way to determine how he would handle the news about our world.” Hayley said, softly.

“But you aren’t against me getting to know him? Determine for myself if he could be trusted with knowing about the Supernatural?” Hope asked, looking up at her mom.

“Of course not, Hope. Just, tread carefully. And if you do decide to get to know him, we have to promise to keep it a secret… from everyone. Especially Klaus.” Hayley replied.

“Niklaus wouldn’t even take the news of Hope being interested in someone from our world well… let alone a human. And I’m not about to be the one he turns his ire on for letting him know. My lips are sealed.” Freya said.

“It’s not like he’d show up if he found out. He’d just continue his murder spree elsewhere.” Hope muttered as her eyes filled with hot tears.

Of course, that was the exact moment Ryan glanced over at her and his face fell. Why was she crying on her birthday? He had the urge to go over and wipe her tears away while telling her that everything was okay, but he had customers that he had to ring up, and Hope was with two older women, one of which Ryan assumed to be her mother. And the age thing poked at the back of his mind… again. He needed to be careful in his interactions with Hope. As he continued to ring up the other customers, Ryan’s eyes kept darting over to Hope, needing to make sure she was okay. By the time she got to the register, Ryan was relieved to see that her tears had dried, but she still looked upset; he made a mental note to text her when he got off to make sure she didn’t end her birthday being upset.

“Everything okay?” Ryan asked slowly.

“Not even remotely, but there’s nothing that can be done to make it better.” Hope replied and Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“That was not the answer I was expecting.” Ryan commented as he rang up the books that Hope and the two women with her handed him.

“It’s the honest one, though.” Hope replied with a shrug.

“Hope, honey… are you going to introduce us, or do we have to introduce ourselves?” Freya asked.

“Right… uh, mom, Aunt Freya, this is Ryan… Ryan, this is my mom, Hayley, and my Aunt Freya. They came up from New Orleans to visit me for my birthday.” Hope said, suddenly feeling awkward.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Ryan said with a small nod, his eyes drifting back to Hope’s sad ones and holding her gaze.

“Likewise.” Hayley commented, looking between her daughter and the young man. “What time are you off of work, Ryan?” She asked, and Hope whipped her head around to stare wide-eyed at her mother.

“Mom!” Hope exclaimed.

“Uh, at 5… why?” Ryan asked, thankful that the rest of the customers had already left.

“Would you like to join us for dinner?” Freya asked.

“I really don’t want to impose on Hope’s birthday celebration.” Ryan said.

“You wouldn’t be.” Hayley said with a smile. “It’s rare that we get to meet one of Hope’s friends, given that we live in Louisiana.” She said.

“Really, Mom?” Hope asked, silently pleading with Ryan to agree.

“I insist that you join us, Ryan. If you don’t already have plans, that is.” Hayley said.

“I don’t have any plans, so if it’s okay with Hope, then I’d love to tag along.”

“Sure. It’d be nice to have my _only_ friend join us for dinner.”

Hope caught Ryan’s look of surprise when she stressed him being her only friend. She had ambiguously told him earlier that she didn’t have many friends, but there was no point in hiding the truth. She didn’t have friends. Once upon a time, the twins might have become her step-sisters, but then everything with the Hollow happened, and her father had to leave to keep her safe, and Caroline wasn’t about to abandon her daughters to go with him, so Hope and the twins weren’t close, like, at all. And while the twins were the only ones at school who knew that her last name was not, in fact, Marshall, everyone still kept their distance. They could tell Hope was different than the other witches. And witches at school were cliquey and shunned those that were different. Then there was Henry. He was a part of the Crescent Pack back in New Orleans, part of the pack that her mother was the Alpha of, and there for a part of Hope’s pack if she ever triggered her curse, but they weren’t friends, either. Hope was a loner. She desperately wanted Ryan to help change that.

“Hope?”

Hope blinked and glanced around. Her mom and Freya were gone, and Ryan had come around the counter to stand directly in front of her. He was lifting her chin with his pointer finger and Hope was snapping out of her thoughts entirely only to get lost in Ryan’s dark brown eyes.

“You okay?” Ryan asked.

“I think so?” Hope replied.

“You don’t sound sure about that.” Ryan commented as he stepped closer.

“That’s because I’m not sure. I know I got lost in my thoughts, but I don’t know what happened _while_ I was lost in thought.” Hope said as she ran her hands up Ryan’s chest and over his shoulders.

“I’ve been given the honor of having your hand in marriage. The eve of your 18th birthday, we are to be married, with the celebration lasting until past midnight so that when we consummate our marriage you will be of legal age.” Ryan said with a smirk.

“Seriously?” Hope asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, Hope, not seriously. That would be preposterous. But your mom and aunt said that they would meet you back at your school.” Ryan replied, a small laugh bubbling past his lips.

“Hey… I love Medieval romance stories. So if something like that ever happened, I would totally be all for it.” Hope said, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ryan said before leaning in. “That just makes you My Princess, if you’ll have me.” He whispered and Hope felt shivers run down her spine.

“Only if you’ll be My Dark Prince.” Hope murmured back.

“Why ‘Dark’?” Ryan asked.

“The perfect do-gooder prince is boring. The allure of something akin to the forbidden fruit is much more appealing to me.”

“Then your Dark Prince I shall be.” Ryan agreed.

“I should get going. I need to get back to school and change before dinner.” Hope commented while biting her lower lip.

“It’s not something formal, is it? I don’t have anything formal to wear.”

“Oh, no, it’s not formal. I just don’t want to wear my school uniform to dinner.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you look adorable in your uniform.”

Hope hummed at that while Ryan gave her a grin. She was transfixed with his mouth. So much so that she couldn’t stop herself from reaching up and stealing a quick kiss, just to know what it felt like to have his lips against hers. It was short and sweet, and as she pulled away, Hope pouted.

“Please don’t pout, Hope.” Ryan requested with a groan.

“Why not? I’m a kid, I can pout if I want to.” Hope countered.

“Fine… please don’t pout around me. It makes me want to do things that I shouldn’t since you are still a kid.” Ryan said.

“Oh! Sorry.” Hope exclaimed as she bit her lip and stepped back.

“Damn it, that’s not much better.” Ryan grumbled as he ran his hand over his face.

“Sorry.” Hope repeated. “I’ll just head out, and I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Do you need a ride? It’s close enough to being 5 that I can lock up a little bit early and drive you back to your school.” Ryan offered.

“If me pouting and biting my lips makes it difficult for you to _not_ do something illegal, us being alone in a car together might not be the best idea.” Hope replied with a frown; flashes of what they could do while alone in a car flitting across her mind.

“You’re probably right.” Ryan agreed with a nod.

“I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“See you soon.”

With one last smile, Hope headed out of the bookstore and turned towards the direction of the school. She made it about half a block before she felt like she was being watched and she turned around to find a boy, about her age, staring at her from in front of the Mystic Grill. _‘Creep.’_ Hope thought as she pulled her jacket tighter around her body and turned back towards the school, thankful to see her mom and Freya up ahead. As Hope neared her mom and aunt, her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket and she pulled it out to see a text from Ryan.

**Is there anything I can bring to dinner?**

_Would it be cheesy if I say bringing yourself is more than enough?_

**Absolutely not. I happen to like cheese.**

_You are a dork, Ryan._

**Thank you, I try. Plus, I am trying to put a smile on your face… I didn’t like seeing you crying.**

_You saw that?_

**I did, but the tears were gone when you got up to the register, so I didn’t say anything. Do you want to talk about it?**

_Maybe later. Talking about it today of all days… it would just end with more tears._

**Which is the exact opposite of what I want to do.**

_You’re a really nice guy, and really respectful. Thank you for that._

**Of course.**

When Hope looked up from her phone, she was met with matching, knowing looks from her mom and aunt. Both had a smile on their face, and Hayley was handing her phone to Hope. Raising an eyebrow at her mom, Hope took the phone and sucked in a breath when she saw who was being called.

“ **Hayley? What’s wrong?** ” Tears sprung to Hope’s eyes at the sound of her father’s voice.

“Dad?” Hope asked softly.

“ **Where’s your mother?** ” Klaus asked after a moment of silence.

“She’s right here… she and Aunt Freya came to spend the day with me, you know, given that it’s my birthday and all.” Hope snapped.

“ **Hope…** ” Klaus said slowly.

“You weren’t even going to call, were you? I guess I should have known better than to believe this year would be any different than the last 4 birthdays.”

“ **That’s not fair, Hope. You know I can’t be around you.** ” Klaus commented.

“Calling your only daughter on her birthday doesn’t require you to be anywhere near me, Dad! You claim to love me, yet you’ve distanced yourself so much from me that you can’t even see how not calling me and not responding to my letters has hurt me. You’re a selfish bastard that only cares about himself.” Hope said as she slammed her finger down on the ‘end call’ button and handed the phone back to her mom. “I just want today to be over.” She mumbled as she moved to slide into the back seat of her mom’s car.

Hayley and Freya shared a look and both of them sighed. Klaus was getting worse, and it was only was only affecting Hope even more negatively.

“I think it’s time we talk to Caroline.” Hayley commented. “She’s the only one that I can think of that Klaus might actually listen to.”

“I agree. We’ll talk to her when we get back to the school.” Freya agreed.

_Why do fathers have to be such jerks sometimes?_

**I take it that your father isn’t in your life much?**

_Not by choice._

**Divorced parents and your mom has custody, or something else?**

_Something else. He claims to love me, yet he wasn’t even planning on calling me to wish me a happy birthday today. Not that he’s called me on my birthday since my 9th one… but still, I let myself have hope that this year, being my 15th birthday, that things might be different._

**This is gut wrenching, Hope. All I want to do is hold you in my arms and tell you that everything’s going to be okay… and I can’t, for multiple reasons.**

_I wouldn’t be opposed to that happening._

**We can’t, Hope. If anyone saw us…**

_I know, I know. Age difference and everything. Just letting you know that I want that as much as you do. So it’s not just a one sided thing._

**Good to know.**

Hope sighed as she rested her head on the back of the seat. Meeting Ryan had improved her day immensely, and then talking to her father had ruined it. Hell, even having her father’s name mentioned in conversation had ruined it. She just wanted a nice, normal birthday, for once. But as she thought back on her life, hot tears sprang to Hope’s eyes once again… not even her birth had been normal.

_Do you ever feel like you should have never been born?_

**Sometimes, but when those times come around, I try to remember all the good things that have happened in my life that probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been born.**

_There aren’t a lot of good things that have happened in my life. Just one disastrous thing after another._

**I’m sure that’s not true, Hope.**

_Oh, it is… it all started on this day, 15 years ago…_

**You’re supposed to be happy today, Hope. It’s your day. If you don’t like how the day is turning out, change it.**

Hope contemplated Ryan’s words as the short car ride back to the school stayed silent. She eyed her mom and aunt as they shared silent glances back and forth but didn’t comment on it. She couldn’t bring herself to really care about what their conversation was about. She just wanted to get back to school and change out of her uniform before heading to dinner. But when they pulled up to the school’s gate, her mood worsened. It was started to look like the only thing that was going to let her end her birthday on a somewhat good note was seeing Ryan again.

“Caroline, Alaric, what’s going on?” Hayley asked as she put the car in park and got out.

“We need to put the school on lockdown.” Caroline replied.

“What happened?” Freya questioned.

“Henry... he tried killing himself.” Alaric replied.

“Is he okay?” Hope asked.

“He is... since he came back as a vampire. He’s asking to talk to you, Hope. And only you.” Caroline replied, and Hope swallowed.

“What did you do, Hope?” Hayley asked, rounding on her daughter.

“Nothing!” Hope denied.

“Hope Andrea...” Hayley said slowly.

“Henry asked me for information on Hybrids. I told him what I knew, but that’s it.” Hope replied.

“So you didn’t give him any of your blood for before he killed himself, and more to drink after he woke up again?” Alaric inquired.

“No. Of course I didn’t. I’m not stupid. I know what my blood does to wolves. And I know what it’s like to be different, and how horrible teenagers treat those that are different. I would never want to subject Henry to something like that. Now can I go to my room and change? I’d really like to end my birthday on a somewhat good note.”

“Hope, we need to talk about this.” Hayley said.

“Mom, Henry is the only other teenage wolf in the Crescent Pack. He’s the only one, aside from the twins, that knows who I am... who _Dad_ is. With as strained as things are because the Pack and the Vampires back home, why would I put a target on Henry’s back? I had _nothing_ to do with this.” Hope stressed.

“Then why is he asking to talk to you, and only you?” Caroline asked.

“I don’t _know_. He’s a scared kid that clearly didn’t think this through and is now suffering from heightened emotions from becoming a vampire. You’re the adults and the heads of the school, you figure it out.” Hope said. “I want to get changed and go to dinner. Since you invited someone else along mom, it would be rude of us to keep him waiting while this gets sorted out.” She added, gripping her phone in one hand and her book in the other.

“You’re not going anywhere, Hope. Not until we get to the bottom of this.” Alaric said.

“You can’t tell me what to do. Not when my mom is standing right in front of you. She and Aunt Freya came up to celebrate _my birthday_ , and then invited a friend along to dinner. So while you and Headmistress Forbes sort out what happened with Henry, we’re going to dinner. Right, Mom?” Hope asked.

“Hope, it just be best if we cancel dinner.” Freya commented.

“SERIOUSLY!?” Hope yelled. “Just cancel my birthday dinner like my birthday doesn’t even matter? Mom invited a friend to join us. But fine, follow Dad’s lead and pretend like I don’t exist and that my birthday doesn’t matter.” She added before running back towards town.

“HOPE!”

Hope kept running as fast as her legs would carry her, not bothering to look back to see if her mother or Caroline were following her. She didn’t hear anyone following her and soon enough she got to the edge of town square and came to a stop. Glancing back and forth, but not sparing a look over her shoulder, Hope set her sights on the bookstore and walked directly to it, right as Ryan as stepping out of the building and locking the door.

“Hope? Is everything okay?” Ryan asked as he turned the key in the lock and pushed the door back open to let Hope step inside.

“No.” Hope replied, sniffling a little as she wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.

“What happened?” Ryan questioned as he locked the door from the inside and moved Hope away from the front windows.

“A kid at my school... he tried hurting himself today. The headmaster and headmistress think that I had something to do with it, even though I told them that I didn’t. They put the school on lockdown, which is why I’m still wearing my uniform, and my mom and my aunt were seriously considering cancelling dinner... _my_ birthday dinner... despite my mom having invited you along. I was trying to take your advice and change how the day was going, but it just crashed and burned around me. Being around you today... it was the only good thing about my birthday. And so I ran back to town and came straight here. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not. My Princess needed to see me... why would I mind that?” Ryan asked as he tucked a lock of Hope’s hair behind her ear and lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“Because we barely know each other, and I didn’t know if you had changed your mind about wanting to come to dinner tonight or not.” Hope replied, leaning into Ryan’s hand.

“I know enough, Princess.” Ryan muttered as he leaned in and pressed his lips to Hope’s in a light kiss before pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose and a lingering one on her forehead.

“Ryan...” Hope whispered, biting her lower lip.

“You know what that does to me, Hope.” Ryan whispered back as he lightly pulled the lip out from her teeth with his thumb.

“I don’t think my family loves me as much as they claim to.” Hope admitted.

Ryan was stunned at that admission. As tears silently slid down Hope’s cheeks, Ryan pulled her into his lap and held her close. For the first time since meeting Hope earlier that day, the impulses to do something he shouldn’t weren’t lingering at having her in his arms. And he was thankful for that. He just wanted to comfort Hope. Tell her that her family loved her unconditionally, because that’s what families did, but he couldn’t find the right words to say, so he simply held her in his arms on his lap, rubbing her back as soothingly as possible, trying to calm her down. He didn’t know how long he held Hope in his arms, but by the time there was a soft knock on the front door of the bookstore, and the voice of Hope’s mother calling through the door, Ryan could tell that Hope was asleep, and it was going to be awkward to open the door for Hayley without putting Hope down, and he really didn’t want to wake her up. With a sigh, Ryan stood up, shifting Hope in his arms so that he was cradling her and slowly made his way over to the door, carefully unlocking it and being sure to stay hidden so that Hayley could slip inside.

“I take it Hope told you what happened?” Hayley asked.

“She told me that a student tried to hurt himself and that the heads of the school are trying to blame Hope. But how could she have been to blame if she was with you and her aunt, here in town, all day?” Ryan asked, glancing at the beautiful girl in his arms. He couldn’t fathom Hope helping anyone to hurt themselves.

“The students at Hope’s school, Hope included, have all had hardships in their lives. And even though both Alaric and Caroline have experienced some of those same hardships, they aren’t teenagers anymore. They don’t remember how hard it can be on a kid to experience some of the things that they’ve experienced, and at such a young age, that they tend to treat the students like adults that need to be held responsible for their actions, instead of kids who need help and a listening ear.” Hayley explained.

“Is the student who tried to hurt himself okay?” Ryan asked.

“He is. He had been insisting on talking to no one but Hope, since they’ve grown up together, which is why Alaric and Caroline suspected Hope was partially responsible for what he did, but it’s been sorted out.” Hayley replied.

“Good. Then there’s no reason to cancel Hope’s birthday dinner. Something that really upset her more than one of her classmates trying to hurt himself.” Ryan commented.

“Ryan, tonight just isn’t a good night anymore.” Hayley said.

“Forgive me if I’m being too forward here, Ms...” Ryan trailed off.

“Marshall.”

“Ms. Marshall, but that isn’t okay with me. Not just because you’re rescinding an invitation, but because from what Hope has told me, she has not been enjoying her birthday very much. She deserves to have her birthday end on a good note, doesn’t she? Now, I know that it isn’t going to be much, but I would still very much like to have dinner with Hope, yourself and Hope’s aunt, and I would like to invite the three of you to my place to do so.”

“How long have you and my daughter been friends?”

“About 3 hours.”


	2. Dinner for a Princess

Hayley sputtered trying to find a way to vocalize her surprise at Ryan telling her that he’d only known Hope for a few hours. The words were on the tip of the Hybrid’s tongue, but no matter how many times she opened her mouth, no words came out and she closed it again. All the while, her eyes kept moving from Ryan to Hope and back, taking in how much care Ryan was using in holding Hope in his arms while she slept. He had been right though; Hope did deserve to have her birthday end well after everything else had gone so horribly wrong. But the length of time that Hope and Ryan had known each other wasn’t what Hayley was truly concerned about. It was the fact that after such a short amount of time of knowing Hope, Ryan wanted to have them over so that he could give Hope the birthday dinner that he felt she deserved.

“3 hours?” Hayley finally asked.

“Yes. Hope and I only met this afternoon when I helped her get the book she was looking for down from the top shelf. We got to talking and hit it off. I do not blame you for assuming we had known each other longer. I can see how our interactions could give off that assumption.” Ryan replied.

“And you know that she’s only 15, correct?” Hayley questioned. “That if this friendship of yours continues into something more serious, that you cannot have sex with her for 3 years; no matter what she says?” She clarified.

“I am aware. Her being underage was one of the first things she mentioned to me.” Ryan said.

“And you’re okay with that? With waiting, if things progress?”

“Yes. Ms. Marshall, the length of time that Hope and I have known each other aside, I’ve already come to care deeply for her. I don’t want to hurt her in anyway, and I know that if anything sexual were to happen between us before she turns 18, that me being arrested would hurt her. You have no reason to trust me, as you don’t know me. But I have to believe that if your daughter didn’t trust me already, that she wouldn’t have come right back here. And for that, I ask that you trust your daughter.”

“I do trust my daughter, Ryan. That’s not something you ever have to ask me to do. And I’ll have you know that as a mom, I consider myself to be a good judge of character; similar to that of dogs. And you do not set off any alarms.”

“I appreciate that, Ms. Marshall.”

“Please, Ryan, call me Hayley.”

“Hayley.”

Hayley moved to take Hope out of Ryan’s arms, and Ryan instantly retreated, hugging Hope closer to his chest. Hayley’s eyes went wide at the action, but she held her hands up and stepped back. Hope clearly felt safe enough with Ryan that she had fallen asleep in his arms, and Hayley wasn’t about to deny a man the chance to hold the woman he cared for in his arms. God knows she could use that herself right about now. But Elijah was in France, not remembering any of the family and Declan... well, Declan didn’t know anything about the Supernatural World, much like Ryan didn’t. But the way that Ryan was holding Hope, it reminded Hayley so much of how Klaus had held their baby girl when he was given the chance to when she was still a baby. It hit Hayley with the realization that if Ryan ever got a chance to be a father, he would make an exceptional one.

As Ryan stood there, gently cradling Hope in his arms, he was hit with just how young she was. Asleep in his arms, she looked considerably younger than her 15 years, and Ryan mentally kicked himself for letting his thoughts from earlier get the better of him. Hope still had so much of her life to live before she should settle down, but he felt a pull to her. Something on what he could only describe as a spiritual level. Like they were meant to be together; meant to meet when and how they did. He didn’t care about what she had endured in the past that had her attending the boarding school for troubled youth on the outskirts of town. Whatever it was, he would understand and accept it as a part of who she was. Because everything that she had gone through up to this point had turned her into the young woman that he was already falling for. He would accept her for who she is, no matter what. As he went to sit back down, Hope started to stir in his arms and Ryan leaned his head back to look at her face as she opened her eyes.

“Hey... how are you feeling?” Ryan asked softly as he brushed some of Hope’s hair out of her face.

“Better... I think? How long was I asleep for?” Hope questioned.

“Not very long. By the time I realized you were asleep, your mom showed up.” Ryan replied as he nodded in Hayley’s direction.

Hope shifted in Ryan’s arm quickly as she gave her mom a wide-eyed look. When she almost fell out of Ryan’s lap at her sudden movement, she felt comfort in Ryan’s touch when he quickly caught her and settled her back on his lap.

“Mom. What are you doing here?” Hope asked sharply.

“I came to make sure you were okay, and to tell you that Henry’s okay. Alaric and Caroline have sorted it all out.” Hayley replied, slightly taken aback by her daughter’s tone.

“Why was Henry asking for me and only me?” Hope questioned.

“Because you’re the only one that he felt safe enough talking to. He didn’t realize that I was visiting you for your birthday. I talked to him, and he’s okay. He’s going to adjust to the changes at the school.” Hayley explained.

“Then we’re going out to dinner? Or are you and Aunt Freya still going to act like my birthday isn’t important and that I don’t exist? Because if that’s the case, I’ll just spend the rest of my birthday with Ryan. At least he wants to see me happy on my birthday.” Hope said.

“Ryan’s invited us to his place for dinner.” Hayley said and Hope looked up at him.

“You did?” Hope asked in a small voice.

“I wanted to make sure your birthday ended on a happier note. If I overstepped, I’m sorry.” Ryan replied.

“No one’s cared this much about me this much.” Hope said. “So you didn’t overstep.” She added. “Are we going?” She asked, glancing back at her mom.

“I need to talk to Freya, but I don’t see why not.” Hayley replied.

“Then go talk to Aunt Freya.” Hope commented with a huff.

“The attitude is not necessary, young lady.” Hayley said, narrowing her eyes at her daughter before turning her gaze to Ryan. “Do you need to inform your family that you would be having company over?” She asked.

“Not necessarily. I live in the apartment above the detached garage at my adoptive mother’s house, so I technically don’t have to let her know that I’m having company, but I usually do anyway, just so she’s aware.” Ryan replied.

“That would be appreciated.”

With a nod, Ryan pulled out his phone as Hayley stepped outside to call Freya. Once they were alone, Hope gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Ryan.”

“I told you earlier that I don’t like it when you cry, so as long as you’ll allow me to, I’ll always do whatever I can to put a smile back on your face; no thanks needed.” Ryan replied.

“Are you really going to let your mom know that you’re having company over?” Hope asked.

“I’ve always tried to be a respectful son, so not letting her know would go against everything I’ve done since she adopted me.” Ryan explained.

“What’s her name?”

“Seylah. And I have an adopted brother, Landon. He’s 15 as well and has a part time job at the Mystic Grill.”

“Does he happen to be closer to my height with curly hair like you have?”

“He is and he does. Why?”

“I think he was staring at me earlier when I left to head back to school.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was. You are extremely beautiful, and he’s a teenage boy.”

“It was creepy.”

“Then it was definitely Landon.” Ryan said. “I’ll make sure to talk to him about not staring at girls for too long.”

“Now if you were staring at me... that would be a different story.” Hope commented as she slowly interlocked their fingers.

“If I was staring at you in public the way Landon tends to stare at girls, I would most definitely be arrested. So I’ll keep my staring to a minimum, unless we’re alone like this. But even then, I won’t be disrespectful in my staring.” Ryan replied as he ran his thumb Hope’s pulse point on her inner wrist.

“I wouldn’t mind.” Hope said in a small voice.

“That wouldn’t matter, Hope. If I’m seen doing anything that can be considered even remotely inappropriate with you in public, since you are underage, whether you’ve consented or not, it won’t matter. I would be charged with sexual harassment of a minor, while you’re deemed as too young to give knowledgeable consent. We’ll have to be extremely careful going forward, even if we’re just hanging out.” Ryan said with a sigh as he ran the fingers of his free hand through Hope’s hair.

“So clandestine meetings whenever I can sneak away from school. I can live with that.”

Ryan hummed in agreement and pressed a kiss to the top of Hope’s head. He was relieved that his thoughts from earlier were still taking a backseat to wanting to take care of Hope. He really didn’t need a reaction to having her body so close to his.

“So... you now know a little bit about my life, what about you? You mentioned earlier that you don’t get to see your father much.” Ryan inquired.

“Well, I’m an only child. Product of a one night stand. My parents get along for my sake, at least for the most part, but when I was younger, something happened and my dad and three of his siblings had to leave to protect me, and they can’t be near each other, or me. Which is a really hard pill to swallow, since my family has drilled into me since I was born that family is Always and Forever. So for them to have to stay away from each other and stay away from me, even though it’s to keep me safe, it makes me feel like I’ve broken my family, instead of being the reason they were able to come closer together.” Hope explained with a sigh.

“That doesn’t sound, to me, like they don’t love you, Hope. The fact that they have such a pact with each other, and they are doing what they can to keep you safe by staying away from you, that, to me, is the exact definition of loving someone. You’re willing to do something that’s hard to make things better for someone else.” Ryan said.

“I still feel like I broke my family. For as long as I can remember, my dad hasn’t been able to be around for one reason or another. I think combining all of the sporadic times my dad was able to be around throughout the years, it ends up being less then the consecutive time I spent with my step-dad when I was a baby. And I don’t think there’s ever been a time since I was born that every member of my family that’s still alive has all been under one roof.” Hope continued with a frown.

“Well... if you would like to, you’re welcome to think of me as your family while you’re at school. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’d like that. But are you sure you want to make such an offer after how short of a time we’ve known each other?”

“I know it’s crazy, but it feels right, Hope. I just have this feeling that I can’t explain. A feeling that tells me that we’re supposed to be in each other’s lives.”

“That doesn’t seem crazy to me. I’ve always believed in soul mates. That when two people are destined to be together, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter in what way they are destined to be together, that Nature will find a way to ensure those two souls will meet.” Hope said. “There were a lot of extenuating circumstances that led to my parents meeting.”

“Whomever I have to thank for leading your parents to meet, I will. Because if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the prettiest girl I’ve ever met sitting in my lap right now.”

“You’re going to spoil me, aren’t you?”

“As much as you’ll let me.”

With a wide grin, Hope wrapped her arms tightly around Ryan’s neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. In this very moment, Hope was happier than she could ever remember being her entire life. And it was all thanks to Ryan. He wasn’t letting their limited amount of time of knowing each other hold him back from showing her how much he already cared about her, and Hope didn’t think she would ever be able to thank him enough for how happy he was making her.

“Okay, I’ve convinced Freya to come to dinner. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea as a whole, given what has transpired today, but she agrees that you deserve to be happy on your birthday.” Hayley said as she slipped back into the store and locking eyes with Hope. “Once she gets here with the car, we’ll follow you to your place, Ryan.” She added. “Did you let your mom know that you were having company?” She asked.

“I got sidetracked, but I’ll do that right now.” Ryan replied as he shifted Hope in his lap so that he could use both hands to type out a text to his adoptive mother. “So, your family is all from New Orleans?” He asked, glancing between Hope and Hayley.

“Not entirely. My dad’s family is actually from Mystic Falls. They just moved away years before I was born... I think my dad was still a kid when they moved away.” Hope replied. “But my mom and I were both born there.” She added, locking eyes with her mom.

“I don’t think I’ve lived anywhere but here. Traveling has always been something that I’ve wanted to do, though.” Ryan commented.

“We’ll have to get you down to New Orleans in a few years.” Hope offered.

“Hope...” Hayley said, a hint of warning in her tone.

“Mom, it’s not like Dad would be there. And I said in a few years.” Hope said with a sigh.

“Why would your dad being around be an issue?” Ryan asked slowly.

“Despite his absence for most of my life, he’s extremely protective. He wouldn’t approve of any guy. No matter the age difference.” Hope replied.

With a nod, Ryan fell silent and wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist, holding her close and nuzzled her neck. When Hayley wandered out of sight to look at some of the shelves, Ryan pressed a quick kiss to Hope’s neck, just below her ear. Hope was just about to turn to face him a little bit more when his phone vibrated and she was hit with a shot of jealousy. Glancing briefly at the screen, Hope let out a sigh at seeing that it was just a response from his mom. Before she could ask him what the text actually said, Hayley came back around the corner.

“Freya’s here.”

“I’ll go with Ryan.” Hope said quickly.

“No, Hope, you won’t.” Hayley replied.

“Why not? You and Aunt Freya were having a silent conversation earlier today. If I go with Ryan, the two of you could actually vocalize it.” Hope argued.

“I am trying to be fair, and trust you, Hope, but I will not be able to do much of anything if anyone sees you getting into, or out of, Ryan’s car. You will be coming with me and Freya.” Hayley said firmly.

“I need to drive my brother home from work, anyway. And I’d prefer to keep him away from you. Knowing Landon, if he so much as suspects something’s already happening between us, he won’t hesitate to call Sheriff Donovan.” Ryan said. “Plus, you were also the one that said we shouldn’t be in a car alone together, Princess.” He whispered directly into Hope’s ear, causing her to turn and pout at him. “Don’t give me that look, Hope.” He warned.

Hope’s pout only deepened in response, but her blue eyes were sparkling and Ryan groaned internally. His earlier thoughts were starting to return now that Hope wasn’t as upset as she had been, and he wasn’t going to be to take care of his growing erection until after dinner. Because there was no way that he was going to try and get off in the car, since he now had to drive Landon home, and he wasn’t going to try and get off when he got home, since Hope’s mom was going to be there, and there was no way that she would buy him thinking of something else other Hope. In fact, Hayley struck Ryan as the type of mom who could, and probably would, murder him for thinking of someone else when her daughter was _right there_. And he didn’t want to cross Hayley. When Hope stood up and held out her hands to help him up, her pout still firmly in place, Ryan accepted her help before throwing caution to the wind and lightly kissing the pout away.

“You’re trying to make this more difficult for me, aren’t you?” Ryan asked as he rested his forehead against Hope’s.

“That depends... is it working?” Hope whispered back.

“Very much so. And now I have to go pick up my loser little brother from work while sporting an erection that I can’t, and won’t, explain.”

“We should get going. We don’t want things to get too late since Freya and I are driving home tonight.” Hayley commented from the door, pretending very convincingly that she hadn’t just heard the conversation that transpired, but Hope knew better.

“Right. Uh, you two go ahead so I can lock up, and then I’ll be right out.” Ryan said, slowly releasing his hold on Hope’s hands.

The second they lost contact, Hope frowned. Every spot of her body that had been in contact with Ryan’s body now felt extremely cold and she didn’t like it. It was too close to the feeling she had gotten as a child when the Hollow had first started trying to take over her body. A chill that ran bone deep. She really hoped that Ryan was feeling it to so that way she knew it was because they were already missing the body heat the other provided, and not because 2 members of her family were close to each other when they shouldn’t be. Walking over to her mom, Hope gave her a worried look.

“Mom, do you know where Dad is right now?” Hope murmured.

“Somewhere in Europe, I think. Why?” Hayley asked.

“I’ll tell you in the car.” Hope replied.

“Hayley, before we head out, I just want to thank you for trusting me, even if it’s just slightly right now. It truly means a lot to me.” Ryan said.

“Most of my trust is being placed in my daughter. But you gave me your word that you are willing to wait to have sex until Hope turns 18, if things become serious. So I’m holding you to that.” Hayley replied before leading Hope out of the store.

 _‘I’m so screwed.’_ Ryan thought as he closed up the store and headed for his car, catching Hope’s eye just as she was getting into the back of her mother’s car and gave her a wink.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

The second that the doors closed behind Hayley and Hope, Hayley turned and gave her daughter an expectant look. Glancing between her mother and her aunt, Hope let out a sigh.

“Are we absolutely sure that Dad hasn’t been to see Uncle Elijah?” Hope asked slowly.

“What would make you think that he has?” Freya questioned.

“When Ryan and I let go of each other inside, I felt a bone-deep chill run over most of my body. I want it to simply mean that it was because I already missed his body heat, but I’ve only ever felt that deep of a chill once before... and that was when the Hollow first started trying to take over my body. And I’m afraid that it might mean that Dad couldn’t help himself and went to see Uncle Elijah.” Hope explained as tears stung at her eyes.

“Listen to me, Sweetheart. If your father had gone anywhere near your uncle, there would have been other things that would have happened. But if it makes you feel better, we can call Rebekah and see if she and Marcel saw anything end-of-the-world-y has happened around them.” Hayley said.

“No... let’s not bother them. I’m probably just waiting for the other shoe to drop and putting too much thought into it.” Hope replied.

“Are you sure?” Freya asked.

“Yeah. Let’s just follow Ryan to his place for dinner.”

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Ryan drove the short distance from the bookstore to the Grill. The entire time he was waiting for Landon to come out to the car, Ryan kept glancing back towards where Hayley’s car was still sitting. He needed them to start following him before Landon got into the car, or else he would have to explain to Landon why he was waiting. And he didn’t want to tell Landon anything about Hope. From what Hope had told him, Landon had already seemed to have developed a crush on Hope, even though he had only seen her from a distance, and he really didn’t want to give his little brother more reason to crush on Hope. Hope was Ryan’s Princess, and knowing how Landon was with girls, Ryan didn’t want Landon anywhere near his Princess. It was possessive, Ryan knew that, but he wanted to protect Hope as much as he was able to, and for the time being, the only way he knew how was to keep Landon away from her.

“You’ll never believe what happened today.” Landon said as he slid into the passenger seat.

“That depends on what you’re about to tell me happened.” Ryan replied, letting out a quick sigh when he glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the other car move.

“I saw the hottest girl ever, walk out of the bookstore, and she glanced over at me and I could tell she wanted me.” Landon replied.

“How could you possibly tell that she wanted you if you were at work and she was walking out of the bookstore?” Ryan asked. _‘She so doesn’t want you. She made it perfectly clear that she wants me.’_ He added in his mind.

“Just the way she looked at me. But you must have interacted with her. She had red-ish hair, a nice rack, probably on the shorter side. Do you know her name?” Landon asked and Ryan gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white to keep from beating up his idiot brother.

“I know which one of my customers you’re talking about, but no, I don’t know her name. And you really shouldn’t objectify women like that, Landon. It’s rude.” Ryan said, his eyes darting to the rear view mirror.

“Whatever. When she turned around and looked at me, I noticed that she was wearing the school uniform for the boarding school for troubled rich kids. So I’m sure that if manage to get her to talk to me, I can get her to into bed with me.” Landon commented.

Ryan jerked the car to a stop and turned to glare at his brother. He felt like he would puke if he listened to another word of Landon’s crude plan to get to Hope. They hadn’t even made it out of town square, and Ryan was through with listening to Landon.

“Get out.” Ryan demanded.

“What? No way! Mom told you to drive me home.” Landon argued.

“I will not sit here and listen to you talk about a girl that you’ve never actually met in such a way. Either get out and walk the rest of the way home or shut the fuck up.” Ryan said, his jaw clenched. “The choice is yours.”

“You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad!” Landon exclaimed.

“You’re right, I’m not. But this is _my_ car, and if you are in it, you follow _my_ rules. So again, get out or shut the fuck up. Which is it going to be?”

Landon let out a huff, folded his arms across his chest and slumped in his seat, but kept his mouth shut. With a tense nod and a glance in the rearview mirror, Ryan continued driving home. As he drove, he was thankful that Hayley was keeping some distance between them so as to not draw Landon’s attention. When they got to the house, Ryan pulled into the garage and Landon shot him a glare before getting out and slamming the door. Ryan had no doubt in his mind that Landon was going to go inside and complain to Seylah, but he didn’t really care. He was an adult, and while he lived on the same property as his adoptive mother, he didn’t live under her roof. Not to mention his mind wasn’t on his immature little brother’s antics at that moment. Because the second he heard the door to the house slam shut, he noticed Hope, Hayley and Freya getting out of their car across the street.

Getting out of the car himself, Ryan motioned for them to hurry. Mostly he just wanted Hope to hurry before Landon happened to look out one of the front windows and saw her. Because if that happened, Landon would know that Ryan lied to him, and then the accusations would start flying, and it would only be a matter of time before Sheriff Donovan came knocking on his door. He didn’t want that. What he wanted was to have Hope back in his arms, give her as good of a birthday dinner as he could, and give Hayley and Freya, and Hope, a heads up on what Landon had said. And Hope didn’t disappoint. The second she saw him motioning her over, Hope ran directly to him and threw her arms around his neck. Despite the obvious age difference, anyone looking at them in that very moment would have thought that they were long term lovers who hadn’t seen each other in a while. Pressing a kiss to Hope’s forehead, Ryan held her close and glanced up at Hayley and Freya.

“Thank you for keeping some distance between the cars. I would have felt horrible if your car had been wrecked when I slammed on the breaks earlier.” Ryan said.

“Why did you slam on the breaks?” Hope asked.

“I’ll explain upstairs. But for one, I was ready to strangle my brother.”

Hope’s eyes went wide at Ryan’s comment as he led them all into the garage and closed the garage door before leading them towards the back towards a door on the far side of the structure. She had already had a bad feeling settling in the pit of her stomach where Landon was concerned, but Ryan’s tone put her on edge even more. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what Landon had said, because the way that Ryan was holding her close to his side told her enough: Landon had been talking about her, and Ryan hadn’t liked the thought of his brother talking about her. It wasn’t until Ryan had let her, her mom and aunt into the apartment and he closed and locked the front door behind himself that he saw him relax.

“What was your brother saying about me?” Hope asked in a small voice.

“He was objectifying you, and saying how, since he noticed your uniform, that if he could get you to talk to him, that he could get you into bed with him.” Ryan replied as he wrapped his arms around Hope’s shoulders and hugged her tightly.

“What did he say, specifically?” Hayley asked.

“It was so crude that I don’t even feel comfortable to repeat. But he’s convinced that by the way Hope looked at him, that she wants him.” Ryan said.

“The way he was staring at me creeped me out.” Hope commented.

“I know, but I didn’t want to tell him anything about you, so I couldn’t tell him that. I also told him I didn’t know your name, which is why I was motioning for all of you to hurry up the driveway so that there was less likely of a chance of him looking out one of the windows and seeing you.” Ryan explained. “If he saw you here, after I told him that I didn’t know your name, he would know that I lied, and would immediately go to Sheriff Donovan. I am determined to protect you as best as I can, and if that means making sure my brother is never around you, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“So I’m starving... what are we having for dinner?” Freya asked.

“Right.” Ryan said as he moved around Hope towards the kitchen. “I have the ingredients to make chicken parmesan, if that works for all of you.” He commented.

“That sounds delicious. Do you need any help?” Hope asked.

“This is meant to be your birthday dinner, Hope, you should relax.” Ryan said, shooing her towards the living room.

“Fine... but don’t say I didn’t offer.” Hope replied.

“I’ll help.” Freya offered and Ryan nodded.

“Hayley, Hope, feel free to watch something on TV, or pop in a movie.” Ryan said.

As Ryan got out the ingredients that he and Freya would need to make the dinner, he contemplated asking her about Hope’s father. But he didn’t want to overstep with anything, since at this point, he had no reason to know any more about Hope’s family than she’d already told him, but the fact that her father’s absence on her birthday had made her so upset, Ryan couldn’t stop thinking about why he wasn’t around.

“Um, is it okay if I call you Freya?” Ryan asked a bit awkwardly.

“What else would you call me?” Freya inquired with a tilt of her head.

“Normally I would have gone with ‘Ms.’ and then whatever your last name is, but at this point, that seems a bit too stiff and formal.” Ryan admitted.

“Yes, Ryan, you can call me Freya.”

“Thank you. Now, I know I have no reason to ask, but with as upset as Hope has been today, with the absence of her father being the underlying issue, I can’t help but wonder about it. Why has Hope’s father been so absent from her life?” Ryan questioned slowly, choosing his words carefully.

"If you are as serious about protecting Hope as you claim to be, then you do have a reason to ask, because there’s no way for you to protect her if you don’t know certain things. And the first thing that you need to know, Ryan, is that my brother is a very antagonistic man, and he's made a lot of enemies in his life. Ever since he found out that Hayley was pregnant with his child, he feared that one of his enemies would go after the baby. But when Hope was younger, a long lost, distant relative on Hayley's side of the family went after Hope. They had allies on their side, and to divert their attention from Hope, her father and my other three siblings each drew a section of the allies away and have had to stay away for the last 8 years." Freya explained, her eyes drifting to her niece. “For the first couple of years, Klaus kept in contact with Hope. Called her on her birthdays, responded to her letters, and then when she was 9, something happened, and Klaus went radio silent when it came to Hope. He’s kept in contact with the rest of us, but with Hope, nothing.” She added.

“Hope made it sound like he’s been out of her life for longer than that. Almost as if he’s been away since she was born.” Ryan commented.

“For various reasons, Klaus was not able to be with Hope. And that did start when she was born.” Freya replied. “But those are reasons that you’ll need to talk to Hope about.” She continued. “My brother’s absence in Hope’s life aside, Hope has been through a lot in her life, and she needs someone that will be there for her no matter what. And from the way that she’s been acting today, I really wish that you can be that person for her. Just promise me that you’ll keep an open mind when it comes to things that Hope has to tell you about herself.” She finished.

“Of course.” Ryan said with a nod.

After putting the chicken into the over, Ryan and Freya made their way into the living room where Hope and Hayley were watching Pride and Prejudice. When Ryan sat down on the couch next to Hope, she moved to crawl into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arms lightly around her waist, Ryan pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead before turning his attention to the movie.

“Has your birthday improved at all, Princess?” Ryan murmured into Hope’s ear.

“Thanks to you, yes.” Hope replied.

“You’re welcome.” Ryan said. “Hopefully dinner lives up to everything else I’ve done today to make you feel better.”

“Do you cook on a regular basis?” Hope asked.

“I do.”

“And how often does the smoke alarm go off when you cook?”

“Not very.”

“Okay... and has anyone ever gotten sick from eating your cooking?”

“No.”

“Then I’m sure it’ll be amazing. It smells amazing already.”

“Why not hold off on making such a praising review until you’ve actually had some of the food? It’d make me feel better if you did.”

“If you insist.”

Ryan pressed another kiss to Hope’s forehead and settled back against the couch. He had one arm wrapped around her lower back and one hand resting on her thigh. He was mindful that both her mother and aunt were sitting a few feet away, but when no one told him to move his hand, he kept it where it was, making sure to not move it along Hope’s thigh. If he could behave and get Hayley and Freya’s approval, then Ryan hoped that, if he were to ever meet Hope’s father, that he would be able to get the older male’s approval as well. He wanted to be the person that took care of Hope. He wanted to be there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. He had already started to fall head over heels for the girl in his lap, and he would be damned if he did anything that hurt her.

When dinner was ready soon there after, Ryan reluctantly moved Hope off of his lap and got up to set the table and get the food set out. When the three women made their way over, Ryan pulled out the chairs for all of them, capturing Hope’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The twinkle in her eyes that shone when she smiled up at him had Ryan’s heart skipping a beat. He knew, in that moment, that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep a smile on Hope’s face.


	3. The Best Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _Bold Italic_** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on a video chat.  
>  **Bold** text by itself is the person not present in the scene that's texting.  
>  _Italic_ text by itself is the person present in the scene that's texting.

Dinner ended up being a quiet affair. But it was the best birthday dinner she had ever had. And the fact that Ryan had insisted on making if for when her mom and aunt were considering cancelling dinner altogether, that just made it so much better. Add on that Ryan held her hand the entire time had Hope floating on Cloud 9. In fact, everything that Ryan had done for her throughout the afternoon made Hope feel better than she had in a very long time. Even though he didn’t know what she was, or who her family was, he gave her the sense that it wouldn’t matter. He liked her for who she was when she was most relaxed and feeling the most like herself. And he was being respectful of the fact that she was 15. He kept things innocent, which she appreciated; and she knew that her mom and aunt appreciated it as well. Once dinner was done and the dishes had been done, Hayley and Freya got ready to leave.

“Freya and I will be outside. You two have 5 minutes to say goodnight.” Hayley said. “Thank you for dinner, Ryan, it was delicious.” She added.

“Yes, thank you Ryan.” Freya agreed.

As soon as the front door was closed behind her mom and aunt, Hope turned to Ryan, half jumping into his arms, half being lifted into his embrace. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, Hope pressed her body as close to his as she could while breathing deeply, committing his scent to memory. When Ryan sat her on the counter, Hope pulled away enough to look Ryan in the eye and smiled softly.

“Today has been the best day of my life.” Ryan commented before pressing his lips to Hope’s and rubbing his thumbs over her sides.

“I don’t want it to end.” Hope admitted.

“If it doesn’t end, then we’ll never get to a point where we give into our urges.” Ryan pointed out. “And I will always have to wait until I’m alone to take care of my...” He added, glancing down.

“I want to help you with that.” Hope commented with a frown, following Ryan’s gaze.

“You will, Princess. I don’t think I’ll be able to get you out of my head. So once I know that you’re safe back at school, I’ll be thinking of you while I take care of it.” Ryan commented as he lifted Hope’s chin up with his pointer finger and pressed his lips to hers in another kiss.

Wrapping her arms around Ryan’s neck once again, Hope swiped her tongue along Ryan’s lips and pulled him closer. But when a quick knock on the door sounded, they reluctantly pulled apart and Ryan rested his forehead against Hope’s. Lifting Hope off of the counter, Ryan pressed one last kiss to her forehead before walking her to the door.

“Happy Birthday, Princess.” Ryan said with a smile.

“Thank you for everything today, Ryan. It was the best birthday I’ve had in a while.” Hope replied.

“I’ll have to think of something big to top everything for your birthday next year.” Ryan commented.

“If next year is anything like today, just being around you will be more than enough.” Hope respond with a smile and joined her mom and aunt outside. “I’ll let you know when I get back to school.” She added and Ryan nodded.

“Hayley, Freya, it was nice meeting you both. Drive safely.” Ryan said with a smile towards the older women.

“It was nice meeting you as well, Ryan. Thank you again for dinner.” Hayley replied as she started leading Hope down the stairs.

Once he closed and locked the door behind them, Ryan moved towards his bedroom to get ready for bed. The day had gone in a way that he had never expected it to, and he couldn’t be more thankful for the way that it turned out. He was absolutely positive that he had met the girl that he was destined to be with, and he was almost as certain that she felt the same way about him. So after taking a shower to take care of his erection, doing what he could to think of Hope in the most innocent of ways, he pulled on a pair of sleep pants and climbed into bed, waiting for his Princess to let him know that she had made it back to school.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

After making sure that Ryan had closed the door, Hope muttered an invisibility spell to cloak herself, just in case. Ryan didn’t want Landon to know that they knew each other, and she wasn’t about to throw the lengths that he had already taken to keep her safe from his adoptive brother away by not protecting her presence from Landon’s knowledge. And frankly, Hope was glad that she had placed the invisibility spell on herself, and had extended it to her mom and aunt, because as they rounded the front of the garage, Hope saw Landon looking out of the window. When he didn’t react to them standing there, she knew her spell was working. The next part was going to be tricky though. Their car could be seen from the window that Landon was looking out of, and if the doors opened by themselves, he would suspect something.

“We have a problem.” Hope muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Hayley asked, her eyes glowing gold in case she needed to shift into a wolf.

“Ryan’s brother Landon is standing at the window, and he can see the car from that window. I placed an invisibility spell on us so that he wouldn’t see me but if he sees the car doors opening on their own, he’ll suspect something.” Hope explained.

“Keep you and your mother cloaked but lift it from me when we get to the car. I’ll drive.” Freya said.

“What about the other two doors?” Hope asked.

“I’ll make a show of looking for something in my pockets while the two of you climb in from the driver’s side.” Freya replied.

“Okay.” Hope said with a nod.

Once they were in the car, and had gotten out of eyesight from Ryan’s house, Hope dropped the invisibility spell and let out a sigh before pulling her phone out. She was itching to text Ryan but didn’t know what she wanted to say. Biting her lower lip, Hope typed out a quick text, her thumb hovering over the send button, trying to decide if the words were okay.

_Can I see you tomorrow?_

**Don’t you have school tomorrow?**

_I mean after school... or during lunch... pretty please?_

**Will you be able to get away?**

_You underestimate my ability to be sneaky._

**How can I underestimate something that I’ve yet to experience for myself?**

_You aren’t answering my question._

**If you can get away tomorrow, then yes, we can see each other. Just let me know what time and I’ll meet you wherever.**

_No matter what time let’s meet behind the bookstore._

**It’s a date.**

Hope sucked in a deep breath while reading those three little words. She wasn’t sure if Ryan truly meant it to be a “real” date or not, but Hope felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of having her first date with him.

“Hope?” Hayley asked, turning to look at her daughter.

“Yes Mom?”

“You do understand the severity of the situation if anything happens between you and Ryan before you’re 18, correct?” Hayley questioned.

“Of course I do, Mom. And we won’t do anything, I promise.” Hope replied.

“I just want to make sure since the way you and Ryan were talking in the kitchen...” Hayley trailed off.

“Mom, from the second I told Ryan this afternoon that I’m underage, he’s been nothing but respectful of that. Yes, sex is already on both of our minds, but even with the age thing off the table, we don’t know each other well enough yet to actually have sex. I still have so much to learn in that aspect before I’m ready to take that step.” Hope said.

“Just make sure that you are 100% certain that you’re ready to take that step before you actually do. And if you think you might be, but then change your mind, make sure you say something.” Hayley said.

“I will, Mom. You don’t have to worry. Besides... I have a feeling that Ryan would like, quadruple check that I’m okay with something before anything happens.” Hope replied with a small smile.

The rest of the drive to the school was quiet, but Hope didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to think about everything that had transpired between her and Ryan in just a short period of time. He made her feel safe faster than anyone else, aside from her family, ever had in her entire life. And that was something that she wanted out of a partner. Someone who made her feel as safe as her family always made her feel. When they got to the school, Hope leaned forward to give her mom and aunt both a kiss on the cheek before climbing out of the car. As she headed inside, Hope kept her head down and made a beeline for the stairs so that she could head to her room. But before she even made it to the second step, she was being stopped by Dr. Saltzman.

“Hope, we need to talk.”

“About what, Dr. Saltzman?” Hope asked with a sigh, gripping her phone in her hand.

“You spent the day with a human.” Alaric commented.

“I spent the day with my mom and aunt. Yes, I interacted with a human, but that’s what happens when we go to the Town Square. We interact with humans.” Hope replied with a roll of her eyes.

“You need to be careful around them Hope.” Alaric warned.

“Dr. Saltzman, you do remember that _you_ are human, right?” Hope asked before skipping up the stairs.

“HOPE!”

Hope couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped from her lips as she slipped into her room. Locking the door behind her and muttering a barrier spell, Hope quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed and pulled up Ryan’s contact. The words ‘My Dark Prince’ shone up at her and she bit her lip. Without hesitation, Hope hit the video chat button and worried her lip between her teeth as she waited for the call to connect. She was about ready to end the call as the ringing continued when Ryan answered.

“ ** _Hope... give me one second._** ” Ryan said as his eyes went wide at seeing her face.

“Is everything okay?” Hope asked.

“ ** _I didn’t realize that you were video chatting when I answered the call, and I’m currently just wearing pajama pants._** ” Ryan explained.

“Oh. Sorry... I should have made sure it was okay to video chat before I started the call.” Hope said as a blush rose on her cheeks.

“ ** _Don’t ever apologize, Princess._** ” Ryan commented as he slipped a shirt on.

“You didn’t have to put your shirt on, you know.”

“ ** _I am not about to get us in trouble, Hope. And I don’t want it to seem like I’m forcing you into phone sex when you’re a minor._** ”

“You aren’t.”

“ ** _However, you know what I’m wearing... are you okay with me asking what you’re wearing?_** ”

“Um...”

“ ** _It’s okay to say no, Princess. You don’t have to tell me._** ”

“Okay. At this point, it’s a bit much. Please forget that I said you didn’t have to put your shirt on.”

“ ** _Are you okay, Princess?_** ”

“My headmaster... he warned me to stay away from the locals.”

“ ** _The way I see it, he’s not your father, so he can’t tell you what to do. Your mother said that you could get to know me if you wanted to. So what do_ you _want to do, Hope?_** ”

“I want to get to know you, Ryan. I want to tell you about me. I want to date you.”

“ ** _Then you have nothing to be upset over._** ”

“I um, I wanted to thank you again for today.”

“ ** _The only thing I would change would be that we met earlier in the day so that we could have spent more time together._** ”

“That would have been nice.”

“ ** _You’re pouting again._** ”

“No I wasn’t!”

“ ** _Hope, I can see you. You might not have done it intentionally like you did earlier today, but you are pouting again._** ”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“ ** _Preferably, yes. It makes you look way too kissable. And I’m not in a place to be able to kiss you right now._** ”

“If you wanted to meet me at the edge of my school’s grounds, you would be able to.”

Ryan was silent for a few minutes as he sat contemplating Hope’s offer. The desire to have her back in his arms was tempting, but anyone could see them and then they would never get the chance to explore where things could go for them. The longer that Ryan remained quiet, the more concerned Hope became that she had said something stupid. That she had just ruined everything.

“ ** _I can’t tell you how much I want to take you up on that offer. To be able to hold you close._** ”

“You’re not going to come, are you?”

“ ** _I’m sorry, Princess. I know this is going to sound selfish, but if I get caught with you, we’ll never be able to see each other. We’ll never get that chance. I can’t show up at your school in the middle of the night._** ”

“I want to be upset by that, but at the same time, I can’t help but thank you for being so respectful. I just want you to know, I feel safe with you, Ryan. And that doesn’t come very easily for me. You’re the only one, other than my family, that’s ever made me feel safe.”

“ ** _I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, Princess; I promise._** ”

“Ryan...” Hope said slowly while biting her lip as her eyes watered.

“ ** _Please don’t cry, Hope. It breaks my heart seeing you cry._** ” Ryan replied, sitting up straighter.

“Promise you won’t ever leave me.” Hope whispered.

“ ** _I’m not going anywhere, Princess. I’m right here._** ”

Hope wiped the tears off her cheeks as she settled back against the pillows on her bed and pulled the stuffed bunny that she had been obsessed with as a baby into her lap, holding it close as she gripped her phone and rested her chin on the tops of her knees.

“I feel really alone at school. My family is spread out across the world to keep me safe, and no one at school really knows me, or wants to be my friend. I don’t have a roommate because my father donated a lot of money to the school when it first opened, so I don’t have anyone that I can talk to about my day. And I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is coming.” Hope admitted.

“ ** _You can always talk to me, Hope. You know that, right?_** ” Ryan asked.

“I have you now, but prior to today, I didn’t have anyone. And after spending a majority of the afternoon and evening with you, coming back to school, and being by myself... I miss you already, Ryan.”

“ ** _I miss you already too, Hope. I just want to speed up time to 3 years from now when I can hold you in my arms at night. When you no longer feel alone at night._** ”

“I want that too.”

“ ** _And as far as feeling like something bad is coming, if something does happen, I’ll be here for you. Whether it’s as someone to vent to, or someone to hold you, I’m here, Hope._** ”

“Thank you, Ryan. That really means a lot to me.”

“ ** _Of course. Now you’ve had a long day, and you should probably get some sleep. You do have school tomorrow._** ”

“I don’t want to go to sleep.”

“ ** _You need to, though. Like I said earlier tonight, if tonight doesn’t come to an end, then we’ll never be able to get to a point where we can be together._** ”

“You’re always going to be all adult-y about things, aren’t you?”

“ ** _Well, I_ am _an adult, Hope. And if I were to act even remotely close to the way most guys my age act, I wouldn’t have gotten your mother’s or your aunt’s semi-approval. You probably wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me, either. So while it’s going to suck having to wait to be seen together, I’d rather wait than have you hate me._** ”

“And what would you have done that would have made me hate you... if you acted like most guys your age acted?”

“ ** _For one... your virtue wouldn’t be intact. For two... I wouldn’t be so concerned about you being a minor and us being seen together. Most guys my age would see a pretty girl, and only care about sex, and would do anything to get it._** ”

“That sounds like how you said your brother thinks.”

“ ** _Most guys don’t grow out of that phase. I never had that phase. Despite Seylah’s chosen profession, she raised me to be respectful of women. I was her first ‘child’, so she did everything that she could to ensure I turned out okay. Unfortunately, she hasn’t had that same mindset with Landon._** ”

“What does she do?”

“ ** _That... is something we should discuss in person, not over the phone. Even though this is a video chat. Less likely of anyone overhearing._** ”

“My dad ensured that my room was soundproof at school. So no one can hear us, but we can talk about it in person.”

“ ** _What about your parents?_** ”

“I honestly don’t know how to explain what my parents do.”

“ ** _Fair enough. But it’s nearing midnight, Hope. You need to go to sleep._** ”

“Are you willing to make a compromise?”

“ ** _What do you have in mind?_** ”

“I’ll go to sleep after midnight. I want to truly end my birthday being as happy as I can be and talking to you makes me happy.”

“ ** _I think I can oblige that request._** ”

“Is there anything about me that you want to know?”

“ ** _You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t ready, but why are you attending the school for troubled youth? Your mom briefly mentioned hardships in your childhood but didn’t go into detail._** ”

“If we are going to make this work as best as a we can, then you should know.”

Taking a deep breath, Hope tried to figure out how to phrase what happened when the Hollow possessed her. Without the Supernatural element to. How was she supposed to explain to the guy she liked, that was very much human, and who very much didn’t give off the vibe of knowing anything about the supernatural world, that when she had been a child, an ancient evil spirit of one of her ancestors possessed her? That if Hope’s father, uncles and aunt hadn’t each taken a 4th of the Hollow into them and then dispersed to the 4 corners of the world, that Hope wouldn’t be around?

“When I was 7... I had a really bad mental break. The specific details are a bit fuzzy, since I don’t actually recall doing what I did, but in the peak of the break I... I burned down a church. No one was inside, and thankfully no one was hurt, but it was bad enough that it scared my parents. My parents both knew Dr. Saltzman and Ms. Forbes and knew that they had opened a school for troubled youth, and so I was sent here.” Hope explained.

“ ** _Was this around the same time that your mom’s distant, long-lost relative came after you?_** ” Ryan asked slowly.

“How did you know about that?” Hope questioned, her eyes wide.

“ ** _I asked Freya why your father wasn’t in your life much. I know I didn’t have a right to ask, and that I should have asked you instead, but she told me that while your father is an antagonistic man, it was a distant, long-lost relative of your mother’s that came after you when you were a child, and that your father, as well as three of his siblings, each led a part of your relative’s allies away from you, and that staying away is what’s keeping you safe. And, if you’ll let me, I’d like to help keep you safe as well._** ” Ryan said, his lips tilting down in a frown for a split second before his face was set in determination.

“I really appreciate that, Ryan. With as often as I feel alone and like I’m not safe, despite the lengths at which my family has gone to keep me safe, it means more than I can express knowing that you want to keep me safe. So in answer to your question... yes, that attack is what caused my mental break. And because there isn’t another school _quite_ like this one, and again, because my parents knew the heads of the school from before I was born, I was sent here.” Hope replied.

“ ** _And you’re okay with the only safety I can currently provide being making sure we don’t get caught together?_** ”

“You, my Dark Prince, can be my ultimate protector. No matter what craziness comes our way, I have complete faith that you'll do your best to keep me safe. Just... you know, don’t ever mention being my ultimate protector around my dad. He’d flip out, and you really don’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”

“ ** _I’ll keep that in mind._** ” Ryan said before looking away from the phone for a moment. “ ** _And now, Princess, it’s past midnight. It’s time for you to become Sleeping Beauty and get some sleep._** ”

“You like Classic Disney Princess movies?”

“ ** _Maybe._** ”

“Sap.”

“ ** _Good night, Princess._** ”

“Good night, Dark Prince.”

With a sigh, Hope ended the call and plugged her phone into the charger. Once she snuggled down under the covers and wrapped them tightly around her body, Hope drifted off to sleep quickly. She hadn’t thought that she was as tired as she clearly was, but as her mind was shutting down, she remembered how worn out she had been feeling earlier in the day before going into the bookstore. Being around Ryan had revitalized her and had given her an energy boost to get through the rest of the day. Meeting him in general was forever going to be the highlight of her 15th birthday. And once she slipped into a deep sleep, Hope’s dreams were filled with curly brown hair, caring dark brown eyes, a warm embrace and an all encompassing sense of comfort.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

After the call ended, Ryan ran his hand across his face. He was going to be taking _a lot_ of cold showers over the next three years. He was extremely thankful, in that very moment, that he paid his own bills, as per his agreement with Seylah. So once he had plugged his phone in, Ryan leaned back against the pillow, unable to get the image of Hope's sinfully perfect and kissable mouth pouting at him from his phone screen out of his mind. With a soft groan, he shoved his pants down his hips, taking his dick in his hand and gently stroking it. It was taking a bit longer than when he had been in the shower, but before he could finish, there was a knock on his front door and Ryan groaned. Pulling his pants back up, Ryan slipped into the bathroom to wash his hands, all while the knocking continued, and moved towards the door.

“Mom? What are you doing up this late?” Ryan asked as he stepped to the side to allow the woman who raised him to come inside.

“I couldn’t sleep, and when I went to get a glass of water, I noticed your light was still on. Can we talk?” Seylah asked.

“Sure... what did you want to talk about?”

“Landon made a very big accusation when he got home this evening.”

Ryan’s demeanor changed immediately with those words, going on the defensive; not just for himself but for Hope. He knew where this conversation was going. Whenever Ryan told Landon not to do something, no matter what it was, Landon would always run to Seylah, blow the whole thing out of proportion, trying to get Ryan in trouble. More times than not, when Ryan would explain what _really_ happened, Seylah would end up punishing Landon, but it was never a severe punishment, and Landon would go right back to doing whatever he had been doing that he had been punished for in the first place. And that meant that Ryan had to protect Hope even more, depending on what exactly Landon had said.

“Whatever he accused me of doing, it’s not true.” Ryan said, his hands clenching into fists. He really wanted to take a swing at his idiot brother.

“He said that you kicked him out of the car while still driving.” Seylah commented with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, your precious baby boy is fucking liar.” Ryan replied with a snort.

“So you’re saying that you didn’t tell him to get out of the car?”

“Oh, that part is true. But you raised _me_ better than that, Mom. I’m not a heartless monster that would tell him to get out of my car while it was still moving.”

“Then why would your brother say otherwise?”

“Really? You’re seriously asking me that? He’s been a dramatic little shit since he hit puberty. He craves attention by trying to paint himself as the victim to get someone else in trouble.”

“Then tell me your side of what happened.”

“While he was at work, he saw a girl walk out of the bookstore. From what he was saying, he stared at her from across the town square. And based on previous behavior, I’m going to go with it coming off as being creepy. Then when he was in the car, he was being very obscene, crude, vulgar in how he was talking about her. Apparently she had turned to look at him, and he noticed that she was a student at the Salvatore Boarding School. He said that since she was troubled, that if he could just get her to talk to him, he could get her into his bed. I’d heard enough, so I slammed on the brakes and gave him a choice. Either get out or shut the fuck up. And Mom, if I had actually kicked him out while the car was still moving, he would have had scrapes or cuts and bruises on his body, which he doesn’t, because he doesn’t think about details like that when trying to fabricate a story.”

“So the two of you were fighting over a girl.”

“No, Mom, we were not arguing over a girl. We were arguing over how he talks about girls. You really shouldn’t be as lenient with him and his obsession with porn as you are.” Ryan said. “Speaking of... that’s why your up this late, isn’t it?” He added. “Landon’s up watching porn again. Mom, you do realize that a combination of everything... bringing him to your work when he was still extremely young, allowing him to watch porn all the time... he’s developed a voyeurism kink, and if things don’t change, it’s only going to get worse.”

“You leave that to me, Ryan. Now what was the girl’s name? The one that Landon was staring at.” Seylah said.

“I don’t know her name. I don’t learn the names of all of my customers. I just know the regulars, and today was the first time I’d ever seen her.” Ryan replied.

“Well, we’ll have to find out. If your brother wants to get her into his bed, then he needs to know her name first.” Seylah commented.

“No... Mom... we shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior. We should be trying to put a stop to it. He should be learning how to treat women with respect, not as sex objects.” Ryan argued, deciding then and there that Hope was never going to meet his family, period.

“I’m sure it’s just a phase. He’ll grow out of it.” Seylah replied with a shrug.

“And if he doesn’t, then it’ll be too late. I refuse to take part in this.”

“Family helps each other, Ryan.”

“This isn’t helping him, Mom. Encouraging him to be a dick to women at the age that he is now will only make him think it’s okay to continue doing that when he gets older.”

“Ryan...”

“No, Mom. This is the worst thing that you could do for Landon. Destroy his future if you want to, but don’t expect any help in doing so from me.” Ryan said coldly. “Now get out.”

“You can’t kick me out, Ryan.”

“Can’t I? I _bought_ the garage and apartment from you. So you are now trespassing on _my_ property. Get. Out.”

With a hard stare at her oldest son, Seylah left and Ryan slammed the door shut behind her in frustration, albeit a bit harder and louder than was considerate for the middle of the night. The interruption had killed the mood for him, but with rehashing what had transpired in the car, Ryan’s mind was swirling with less than innocent thoughts of Hope than he would have preferred at that moment. Making sure that the front door was locked, Ryan moved back towards his room. Falling back into bed, Ryan pulled his dick back out and roughly jerked off to the mental image of a beautiful head of long, wavy auburn hair bobbing up and down on his length. When he reached his release, it was to a muttered curse and Hope’s name falling from his lips.

“Damn it. I’m so sorry, Hope.”


	4. Beautiful Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _Bold Italic_** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on a video chat.  
>  **Bold** text by itself is the person not present in the scene that's texting.  
>  _Italic_ text by itself is the person present in the scene that's texting.

Hope woke up the following morning feeling better than she had in a long time. Grabbing her phone she sent a quick text to Ryan to wish him a good morning before pushing the covers back and making her way to her bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. As she showered, she let her mind wander to Ryan. Not that she had thought or dreamt of anyone else _other_ than Ryan. She just let her mind go to where it probably should have been going as she imagined Ryan running his hands over her body as they made out. She wasn’t even seeing him being in the shower with her, she just wanted his hands on her body again. When she realized that she was taking too long and that if she stayed in the shower too much longer, that she would be late for class, Hope quickly finished rinsing off and climbed out. Hurrying over to her dresser, she slipped on the sexiest pair of panties and matching bra that she owned and pulled on her uniform. Once she was dressed she moved back towards her bed to grab her phone from the nightstand.

**Good morning to you too, Princess.**

_How did you sleep?_

**Given that I dreamt about you, I’d say I slept pretty well.**

_I dreamt about you too._

**Lucky me. I have the prettiest girl in the world dreaming about me.**

_I’d say that I’m the lucky one. You’re the most amazing guy I’ve ever met, and you were so respectful of me yesterday... I can’t even describe how it makes me feel that you were dreaming about me._

**You shouldn’t give me too much credit, Princess. As much as I wanted my dreams and thoughts of you to remain as innocent as possible, that didn’t happen last night.**

_Oh... if I did anything to spur that on, I’m sorry._

**You have nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t your fault.**

_Are you sure?_

**Positive. Now get to class. I’ll see you later.**

_So bossy ;P_

With a smile plastered on her face, Hope slipped her phone into her bookbag and made her way to class. Before she could reach her classroom, however, her path was blocked by the twins. Eyeing the two younger girls, Hope waited for one of them to say something. When it didn’t seem like either of them were, Hope gave a small nod.

“This has been a great chat, girls, but I’m gonna be late for class, so...” She said as she went to step around them.

“Our parents want to talk to you.” Josie said as she grabbed Hope’s arm to stop her from leaving.

“Is that so? Well, they should send a note to my teacher.” Hope replied as she pulled her arm from Josie’s grip.

“They sent us.” Lizzie snapped as she folded her arms across her chest.

“But neither of you are a note. Now I’m going to go to class. And if you stop me again, you’ll regret it.” Hope snapped back as she walked around them and went to pull her phone out of her bag.

_When we meet up later, you won’t mind if I vent to you, will you?_

**I’m here for whatever you need, Hope. If that means venting about your day, then that’s what I’ll be here for.**

_Thank you, Ryan. I’ll let you know a bit later if it’s going to be at lunch or after school._

**I’m looking forward to it.**

Hope smiled to herself at Ryan’s text and turned in her classroom, only for a pair of hands to fall on her shoulders and steer her back out of the room. Her fight or flight instinct (which was mostly just a fight instinct, given who her family was) kicked in and she went to grab one of the wrists of the person steering her away from her classroom, but whomever it was anticipated the move and deflected the move.

“Hope, relax. It’s just me.”

“Why would you do that? You of all people should know not to sneak up on me. I am very much my father’s daughter in that manner.” Hope replied with a sigh as she pulled away from Caroline.

“No, you’re more like your mother in that manner.” Caroline replied with a small, soft smile. “Did the girls not tell you that Alaric and I wanted to talk to you?”

“They did, but I don’t listen to your daughters. You could have sent a note to my teacher. Or sent me a message directly to my room.” Hope said.

“Hope, when Alaric and I request to talk to you, no matter how we get the message to you, we expect you to listen and come to the office. Now, we need to talk to you about what happened yesterday.” Caroline said, motioning for Hope to start walking towards the head office.

“Which part? Because my mom told me last night that everything with Henry was sorted out.” Hope replied slowly. She couldn’t let on that she had made a spiritual connection to Ryan.

“I’ll explain once we get to the office.” Caroline replied and Hope sighed.

Hope knew better than to try and get the headmistress to let anything slip about what this conversation was going to be about. Caroline Forbes’ stubbornness was one of the many things that Hope knew her father was attracted to about the blonde vampire. As they walked, Hope found herself slipping back to her thoughts from the day before. Of a time when the woman waking beside her might have become her step-mom. The hostility between her and the twins aside, Hope liked Caroline well enough that she thought she wouldn’t have minded having Caroline as a step-mom. Of course, no one would ever be able to replace Hayley as her mother but having Caroline as a secondary (or third, since Freya was like a second mother to her) mother figure wasn’t an unwelcome thought. But that was just another thing that the Hollow had taken away from her family. Not only were Hope and her father not able to be around each other but given that she was a student at the school that her father’s epic love helped run, it meant that he couldn’t be with around Caroline either. Before she realized it, they had reached the office and Caroline was holding the door open for Hope to go inside.

“Okay, we’re here... what’s this about?” Hope asked as she plopped down in one of the chairs.

“We’re concerned, Hope.” Alaric replied.

“About _what_?” Hope stressed.

“You were very adamant yesterday that you had nothing to do with Henry deciding to take vampire blood before killing himself so that he came back as a hybrid.” Caroline said.

“Because I didn’t have anything to do with it! I can’t even properly describe what it’s like to be a hybrid. I haven’t activated my vampire side or triggered my werewolf curse. Yes, Henry and I sort of know each other from back home, and yes, once I trigger my curse, we’ll both be from the Crescent Pack, but I told you yesterday, I wouldn’t put him through something like this. He already had a hard enough time fitting in as it is before he did this.” Hope argued.

“We understand that Hope, but Henry had to have gotten the idea from someone. Can you think of anyone who might have put the idea into his head that would have led him to ask you questions about being a hybrid?” Alaric asked.

“No! Unless your daughters blabbed about who my dad is, or unless Henry plucked up enough courage to _talk_ to your daughters about who my dad is, then I have no idea where he got the idea from. Even if he adjusts to the heightened emotions that comes with being a vampire, on top of being a werewolf, he’ll never be accepted by either faction. The wolves already don’t accept him, they definitely aren’t going to accept him now. And the vampires won’t either. He’ll always be too much of the other species for either group to accept him. Believe me, I know what that feels like. I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy, let alone someone that I’ve known for most of my life.” Hope said. “And I thought this was resolved? That’s what my mom told me yesterday. That she talked to Henry and that the situation was laid to rest.”

“We’re still concerned, Hope. If there are any other werewolves that find out about what Henry did, which I don’t doubt happening since we’re talking about teenagers, and they want to follow in his footsteps, we could have a lot of issues on our hands.” Caroline said.

“HOW IS THAT MY PROBLEM!?” Hope exclaimed. “You. Are. The. Adults. I don’t need or want the responsibility of helping you two figure out how to deal with the students when they do something they shouldn’t. I’m just a kid myself. Now please, all I want to do is go to class and get through the day and then the week, and then the last few weeks of school. I don’t need unnecessary drama in my life. Especially when I. Have. Nothing. To. Do. With. It.”

“Go ahead back to class.” Caroline said with a nod.

Hope didn’t need to be told twice. Grabbing her bookbag from the floor next to the chair, she hightailed it out of the office and hurried back towards her classroom. Halfway there, though, she switched directions and headed towards the back lawn. She needed to let off some steam before going to class. If she didn’t, then there was a chance that she would go off on one of her classmates, and she really didn’t need that at the moment. Without much thought as to where she was going, Hope headed towards the Old Mill. Upon reaching the structure, Hope flung her bag onto a pile of wood and stood there for a moment, just breathing deeply. Glancing around to make sure she was alone, Hope closed her eyes, clenched her hands into fists at her side and screamed.

And screamed. And screamed.

“If I didn’t know better, Marshall, I’d say you’re more banshee than witch.”

Hope’s head whipped around at the casual voice. The voice was accompanied by the casual posture of Roman Sienna. And the playful smirk on his lips as he not so subtly gave Hope a once over did not go unnoticed.

“I didn’t realize that anyone else was here. I thought I was alone.” Hope replied as she grabbed her bag.

“You don’t have to leave on my account. You look like you could use someone to talk to. If that scream was anything to go off, you’ve got some pent up frustrations.” Roman offered, taking a step towards Hope, only for her to take a step back.

“Thanks for the offer, Roman, but I’m not interested. I have everyone that I need in my life to talk to.” Hope said as she walked away.

“You do? Because I’ve never seen you hanging out with anyone. I thought a witch was made stronger by being in a coven?” Roman said as he jogged to catch up with her.

“That might be true, but I’m perfectly strong without one. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to class.” Hope commented.

“I’ll walk you.” Roman offered.

“I don’t need you to walk me, Roman. I’m perfectly capable of walking myself.” Hope snapped.

“Hey, easy there. I’m just trying to be a gentleman.” Roman said, holding his hands up in surrender.

“What the hell do you even want, Roman?”

“Something about you intrigues me, Hope. I’m just asking for a chance to get to know you better.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

Before Roman could say anything else, Hope ran away, and he simply watched her leave. Once he was sure that she was out of ear shot, he pulled out his phone and hit the 1 on his speed dial.

“She wants nothing to do with me. Not even to allow me a chance to get to know her. We have to go with Plan B.”

“ **We need her to trust you. Do whatever you have to do.** ”

“She’s too smart. If I try pushing after she just told me ‘no’, then she’ll know something is going on, and I’ll only have succeeded in pushing her further away. We have no choice. We need to start Plan B.”

“ **Fine. I’ll keep you posted.** ”

As the call disconnected, Roman let out a sigh. He truly liked Hope, and he didn’t want to see her hurt, but if things went to plan, then she would get hurt, and Roman wasn’t sure if he would be able to do that to Hope.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

By the time Hope got back to the school, her first class was over, and she was a bit out of breath. Making a beeline to her first class, she managed to catch her teacher before he left the classroom and got the homework for that day before she had to head to her next class. She managed to get there a couple minutes early, slid into a seat in the back of the classroom and pulled her phone out of her bag.

**I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything this morning. All I can think about is how much I want to kiss you and hold you close.**

_I’m thinking lunch time. After the morning I’ve had so far, I need to see you sooner rather than later._

**I’ll do what I can to take all the stress away.**

_All the stress might be a bit much. But if you manage to get most of it, I’ll be eternally grateful._

**You’re wish is my command, Princess.**

Hope smiled at the text. Just spending a couple minutes texting Ryan was already making her feel better. As she was slipping her phone back into her bag, Hope felt someone slip into the seat next to her, and as she looked up, her smile fell. Nothing about the day, aside from texting Ryan, was shaping up to be a good day.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Down girl, I’m just sitting here.”

“What do you want, Penelope?”

“Info for info.”

“And why would I tell you anything about me?”

“Not about you, per se, but about how you managed a work around for Dr. S’s no technology shtick.”

“This might come as a shock to you, Penelope, but I used magic. It’s really effective. You should try it some time.”

“Funny. Meet me during lunch and walk me through the spell.”

“I have plans during lunch.”

“And I’m sure those plans are important. Push them to after school. You’ll never get to town and back during lunch and still have ample time to do whatever it is that you’re going to be doing. You’re already on thin ice with everything going on with Henry, don’t push your luck.”

Hope’s eyes went wide at the mention of Henry. From the way Headmistress Forbes and Dr. Saltzman were talking, no one else know about what Henry had done the day before. Unless..

“Penelope, did you have something to do with Henry’s decision yesterday?” Hope whispered urgently.

“Maybe.”

It was a curt reply and it had Hope’s blood boiling. She was getting pressured by Headmistress Forbes and Dr. Saltzman about who gave Henry the idea to drink vampire blood and had insinuated one too many times that Hope was responsible. Now, here she was in class and Penelope Park of all people was insinuated that she had something to do with Henry’s decision. And using that insinuation to blackmail Hope into giving her the spell that allowed Hope to use her cell phone while at school. But could Hope really give up the spell? She had no way of knowing how much of the conversation between herself and Ryan that Penelope had seen. But now that there was a chance that Penelope knew something, Hope had to be extra careful. She couldn’t risk anyone, especially Penelope Park, finding out about Ryan. However, with everything regarding Henry aside, Hope knew that the other witch was right. If she went to town during lunch, she would have to head back almost immediately, and that wouldn’t give her and Ryan a chance to do anything other than maybe a kiss hello and a kiss goodbye. That definitely wasn’t going to be enough. So once the class ended, and Hope was heading towards her next class, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Ryan.

_In my need to see you as soon as possible, I completely forgot about how long I have for lunch. If I head into town to see you, we’ll only have enough time for a couple of kisses before I have to head back. So as much as it upsets me to do this, we’ll have to wait until after I get out of school to see each other._

**It’s okay, Princess. I completely understand. And this just gives me more time to get something together for a mid-afternoon snack for us while you work on homework.**

_Again with the responsible adult take on things._

**I don’t want to be the reason your grades slip, Hope. This way, we get to spend time together, and you get your homework done. I see it as a win-win.**

_Okay, that’s a good point._

**I have another good point for you.**

_..._

**Crap... that was inappropriate. Please ignore that last message.**

_That, that was sexual?_

**Yes...**

**But I really shouldn’t have sent it. Can you forgive me?**

_Given that I didn’t know for sure that it was sexual, of course I forgive you._

_But I did just get an idea of how we can still see each other during my lunch period._

**I’ll do anything. Anything that allows me to see your beauty again.**

_We could video chat again... if you’re able to._

**Absolutely. Just no pouting or biting your lower lip. It’ll drive me crazy until this afternoon when I can actually do something about it.**

_I will try not to, but I make no promises._

**That works for me, Princess.**

Hope slipped her phone back into her bag and made her way to class. As she was about to enter her classroom, she saw Dr. Saltzman at the other end of the hall and hurried over to him. She wasn’t going to sit on the information that Penelope might know something about Henry. She would just tell the headmaster and then be done with it.

“Dr. Saltzman!” Hope called out.

“What can I do for you Hope?” Alaric asked.

“You should talk to Penelope Park about the incident from yesterday.” Hope replied.

“I thought you wanted to be left out of it?” Alaric questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“I do. I didn’t go looking for the information. She sat down next to me in last class and made a passing comment about what happened. When I asked her if she had anything to do with what happened, she played it off like she may or may not have been involved in some capacity, but I just thought I’d let you know. Other than that, I’m staying out of it.” Hope said before turning on her heel and walking away.

The rest of the morning flew by without incident, and for that, Hope was thankful. She flashed a note to Penelope telling the other witch to meet her at the start of lunch at Hope’s room to get the spell, and then discreetly sent a text to Ryan letting him know what time she was planning on calling him. Once her last class of the morning finished, Hope hurried to her room and wrote down the spell for Penelope on a scrap piece of paper and then waited for the other witch to show up. As the minutes passed by, Hope paced back and forth at the foot of her bed. If it took any longer for Penelope to show up, then Hope wasn’t going to have any time to talk to Ryan before lunch was over. When there was about 10 minutes left until the end of lunch, there was finally a knock on Hope’s door, and she quickly opened it and pulled Penelope inside.

“What took you so long? My note said to meet me here at the _beginning_ of lunch. There’s only 10 minutes left.” Hope inquired accusingly.

“I got called in to talk to Headmistress Forbes and Dr. S. Thanks for that, by the way.” Penelope said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not like you had anywhere to be.”

“I was going to... you know what... forget it. Here’s the damn spell. Just take it and go.” Hope snarled while shoving the paper into the other girl’s hand and ushering her towards the door.

After all but pushing Penelope out of the room, Hope closed and locked the door quickly before putting up a barrier spell again and rushing over to where she had dropped her book bag. Pulling her phone out she bit her lower lip and started a video chat with Ryan. She really hoped he wasn’t mad that she hadn’t called when she said she would.

“ ** _I was starting to worry that you had forgotten about me._** ” Ryan commented with a soft smile.

“Never. A classmate had asked me for help with something, so I told her to meet me in my room at the start of lunch, but she got called in to talk to the heads, and the meeting took forever. She finally got here, so I talked her through what she needed and sent her on her way.” Hope replied as she worried her lip.

“ ** _Hope... you’re biting your lip._** ” Ryan commented, his eyes dropping to her mouth.

“I’m trying to hold back tears.” Hope admitted and Ryan’s eyes snapped back up to hers.

“ ** _What’s wrong?_** ” He asked, his body itching to pull her close.

“I thought you were going to be mad at me.” Hope replied while moving to sit on her bed and lean against her pillows.

“ ** _Never, Princess. I figured you just got held up._** ” Ryan said with a smile. “ ** _Now please wipe those tears away. I’m incapable of doing so myself through the phone._** ”

“Where are you right now?” Hope asked as she did as Ryan asked.

“ ** _You’ll find out in a few hours._** ” Ryan replied with a smirk.

“You look like you’re on a rooftop.”

“ ** _You’re not going to let me surprise you, are you?_** ”

“Sorry... I’m just naturally good at deduction. And given the level of the background, you definitely aren’t at ground level.”

“ ** _I’ll give you this one. Yes, I’m on a rooftop. Specifically the roof of the bookstore. I was thinking we could spend the afternoon up here. I’m the only one with a key to the door that leads to the staircase up here, so there wouldn’t be a chance of someone seeing us. Especially since the door is inside the backroom of the bookstore._** ”

“That sounds really romantic.”

“ ** _I try._** ”

Hope glanced at her alarm clock and let out a sigh.

“I have to go.”

“ ** _How many more classes do you have?_** ”

“Two.”

“ ** _Both roughly an hour?_** ”

“Yes...”

“ ** _Then I’ll see you in about 3 hours._** ”

“Ryan?”

“ ** _Yes Princess?_** ”

“Thank you for being there for me today. It’s just been one upsetting or annoying encounter after another all day, and the only thing that has put a smile on my face has been when I’m texting you.”

“ ** _You’re quite welcome. I will always do what I can to put a smile on your face. You have a beautiful smile, by the way._** ”

“Thank you.”

“ ** _You’re stalling._** ”

“I am.”

“ ** _You need to get to class, Hope._** ”

“Can’t I just stay in my room and talk to you until the school day is over and I can head to town to see you in person?”

“ ** _Believe me, I wish we could do that. But like I said earlier, I don’t want to be the reason your grades drop. And if you don’t go to class because you’re talking to me, then your grades will drop._** ”

“You’re not being much of a _Dark_ Prince.”

“ ** _Give it time, Princess. You’ll start to see it._** ”

Hope’s breath hitched at the reserved look in Ryan’s eyes at his words. She was both excited and concerned about what could have happened in Ryan’s past that would make him say that. She wanted so desperately to make anything bad that Ryan went through go away, or at least lessen the strain it put on him. She wanted to protect him as much as he wanted to protect her.

“I’ll see you in a few hours, Ryan.”

“ ** _See you in a few hours, Hope._** ”

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

The next few hours dragged on and Hope found herself watching the clock more than she ever had before. By the time her last class ended, her bookbag was already packed up and she was out the door the second her teacher dismissed the class. Wasting no time, she made her way towards the front of the school and away from the main building. Once she was far enough into the tree line to where she couldn’t see the school anymore, she used an invisibility spell and wove her way through the woods towards town. She was so giddy about seeing Ryan that when she got towards the back of the bookstore and actually saw him, she nearly forgot to take the spell down before she was running towards him.

Ryan heard the footfalls and looked up just in time to see Hope jumping towards him. Without a moment’s hesitation, his arms were open and he was catching her in a hug and spinning her around, just so that he wouldn’t be knocked backwards. The second his arms were around her waist, Hope was wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist to keep from falling. Once he stopped spinning her around, Ryan lowered Hope back to the ground and lightly pressed her up against the wall before pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day.” Ryan muttered against Hope’s lips.

“Me too.” Hope replied with a bright smile.

“Let’s get up to the roof before anyone spots us.”

With a nod, Hope linked her hand with Ryan’s and let him lead her inside, through the backroom, and up the stairs to the roof. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Ryan gently covered Hope’s eyes and led her towards the middle of the roof. Hope couldn’t help to giggle that escaped her lips at Ryan’s actions. Because honestly, she loved that he was going to such great lengths to make her happy. Even having only known each other for a day. But that day had already felt like a lifetime of having known him, and it made Hope wonder if there really were such a thing as past lives and reincarnation, and if so, if she and Ryan had met in a previous life. And if they had met in a previous life, if they had been together then as well. Hope firmly believed in destiny and soulmates, but that didn’t necessarily go hand in hand with past lives. In this very moment, though, she was finding herself wishing that they existed, and that no matter what, she and Ryan would always find each other.

“It isn’t much, but I wanted to make sure we were comfortable, and had something to eat.” Ryan muttered as he uncovered Hope’s eyes and moved his arms down to wrap around her waist, holding her close.

“It’s amazing, Ryan, thank you.” Hope replied as she leaned to the side and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Ladies first.”

“Definitely not... I want to sit on your lap.”

“Hope...”

Her name came out as a warning as Ryan leaning in a nipped at her neck. It wasn’t enough to leave any kind of mark, but it had Hope gasping all the same. In that moment, a part of her, and Hope could only assume that it was her dormant wolf, wanted Ryan to mark her. Let the boys at school know that she was off limits. That someone else had already staked a claim on her. It was a feeling that she had only ever read about while growing up, learning what she could from Jackson’s grandmother’s books on the history of werewolves, but it wasn’t a feeling that she had ever experienced herself. And it definitely wasn’t a feeling she had ever questioned either of her parents on having felt when they hooked up. But then it really struck her on what her words could have meant and she was quickly turning around in Ryan’s embrace and lightly taking his face in her hands.

“I didn’t mean that sexually.” Hope said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry if I’m making things difficult for you.” She added, going to bite her lip, but stopping herself and letting her mouth hang open slightly as she licked her lips.

“God dammit.” Ryan muttered as he held Hope’s face in his hands as well and captured her lips in a hungry kiss.

Hope’s hands moved around to the back of Ryan’s neck and tangled into the hair at the base of his neck. When the kiss broke a few minutes later so they could get some air, Ryan pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead before moving to sit down on the picnic blanket and pulled her down into his lap.

“So...” Hope said slowly.

“You’re never meeting my family.” Ryan stated quickly, wanting to get it over with.

“Not even your mom?” Hope asked.

“Not even her. Apparently when Landon went into the house last night, he claimed that I kicked him out of the car while still driving, and then when my mom came to talk to me about it last night, and I told her the truth, she asked for your name. I don’t trust what she intends to try and do if she ever learns your name. But given her profession, and Landon’s intentions if he can get close enough to you, I have a pretty good idea of what she would _like_ to do. And I will not let you be used as nothing more than a sex toy for my twisted little brother’s sick pleasure.” Ryan explained.

“What _does_ your mom do?” Hope asked slowly.

“She... she owns a Burlesque club. She used to be a dancer there when it used to just be a strip club, and then when she had enough money saved up, she bought it, turned it into a Burlesque club. Men can still go there and pay for private dances with the women, and because my mom didn’t have anyone to watch Landon when she had to go to work, she brought him with her. He became fascinated with watching. And the men that frequent the club, they don’t respect the women at all. And that’s where Landon has learned his current behavior from. That and watching porn.”

“Why doesn’t Seylah do something about the way Landon is? He’s too young to be thinking like this.”

“Because she sees women the same way the men at her club do, so Landon’s behavior is normal to her and she’d do what she can to help her favorite son get the girl he wants.”

“So, why not help him get a girl from her club?”

“Because he wants you.”

“What makes her think I’d let him treat me like that?”

“Landon saw your uniform yesterday, he thinks that since you’re ‘troubled’ you’ll be easier to control. And if your relationship goes bad, well, that’s just the way things go sometimes. You should have just done what he wanted and maybe he wouldn’t have to get rough.”

“I’m no one’s plaything.”

“But that’s all Seylah knows, being a man’s plaything or providing them with playthings when she’s not the one they want and now she’s applying that same thinking to her son, ‘because families help each other’.” Ryan replied bitterly.

“That’s not family. And that’s downright disgusting. There’s only one guy that I’m interested in eventually sharing a bed with, and it’s not some horny boy who degrades women like that; nor is it some popular jock at school.” Hope commented.

“A boy at your school tried to get you into his bed?” Ryan asked, his arms tightening around her slightly.

“You, my Dark Prince, have nothing to be jealous of. And nothing to be worried about. He tried hitting on me this morning, and I turned him down. I’m only interested in you.” Hope said as she turned and pressed her lips to Ryan’s in a light kiss.

“If anyone ever tries to force themselves on you, you let me know and I’ll teach them how not to touch what doesn’t belong to them.”

“Possessive much?”

“A little bit possessive. But I just meant that your body is yours, and if you don’t give a guy permission to touch you, then he shouldn’t touch you.”

At his words, Ryan let go of his hold on her waist and scooted away to put some distance between them to demonstrate his point. Hope simply shook her head with a smile on her face as she pulled him back towards her.

“Unless I say otherwise, you definitely have permission to touch me whenever you want to.” Hope said with a smile.

“Oh thank god. I thought I was going to have to go the next three years keeping a slight distance between us. That would make kissing you very difficult.” Ryan said with a smirk. “And comforting you when you’re upset would be next to impossible. I honestly don’t know if I would be able to be close to you without being able to touch you.” He added as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

“Ryan...” Hope whispered and bit her lip.

“You’re doing it again, Princess.”

“So you can tease me, but I can’t tease you in reaction to your teasing? Way to hold us to a double standard, Ryan.”

“You’re intoxicating to me. Everything about you draws me in, Hope. You’re right, it’s not fair of me to tease you but then point out when you do something that teases me; but I have to hold us to a double standard. When I’m the one teasing, I have control of how far I go. If you’re teasing me, there’s no telling how much self-control I will have. And that’s where the danger comes in. If I lose a grip on my self-control, things could turn out really badly for both of us, and you mean too much to me to put you through something like that. But I promise, from here on out, I’ll try and do a better job at not teasing you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now... what classes do you have homework for? Maybe I can help.”

“Let’s eat something first... I didn’t get to eat lunch today, so I’m a bit hungry.”

With a nod of understanding, Ryan reached for the picnic basket and pulled out a couple of sandwiches and a bowl of grapes. It wasn’t much, but the thought that went into it put a smile on Hope’s face. After they had finished eating the sandwiches, Hope pulled her books out of her bag that were more generic and decided to work on those instead of the supernatural specific ones. As the afternoon went on, Hope simply felt at ease, like a sense of calm had settled over her. A calm that she hadn’t felt before, but definitely welcomed. And true to his word, Ryan didn’t tease her for the remainder of the time they sat up on the roof, just enjoying their time together. But as the afternoon sun started to turn to evening, Hope knew they time was coming to an end, and she really didn’t want it to.

“Going forward, how do we want to do this?” Hope asked as she took her time putting her books back into her bag.

“If you disappear every afternoon, people will start to get suspicious. And the excuse of ‘I went into town to study’ can only be used so many times before your teachers start to get truly worried about you.” Ryan replied.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Ryan.” Hope pointed out.

“I’m thinking twice a week, you come into town. Mondays and Fridays.”

“And the other three days? And weekends?”

“We can video chat while you do your homework in your room. That way we still see each other every day, but we limit the amount of time we are physically near each other. As for the weekends... I don’t know.”

“I could come stay with you on the weekends...”

“That would not be a good idea, Hope. 2 straight days of you being nowhere to be found; being a student at a boarding school, that would definitely be something that others would notice.”

Hope pouted and Ryan immediately leaned in and kissed the pout away.

“We’ll figure something out, baby.” Ryan muttered against her lips, trying the word out.

“No.” Hope replied instantly.

“I was trying it out, and it didn’t feel right to me, either. I’ll stick with Princess.”

“I prefer ‘Princess’ anyway. Maybe we can circle back to something else when I’m not a minor.”

“If I call you nothing else but your name, or Princess, for the next three years, I don’t see myself calling you anything else after that.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“You have so much faith in me.”

“Mhmm.”

With a quick kiss, Hope helped Ryan pack up the basket and blanket before grabbing her bag. Once they had everything, Ryan escorted Hope back down the stairs and made sure the coast was clear before letting her step out of the backdoor. With a lingering hug and one last kiss, Hope headed back towards the school. As she went to turn the corner, she turned back to see Ryan still watching her and gave him a smile and blew him a kiss. After turning the corner, Hope used the invisibility spell again and hurried towards school. She knew that she would be dreaming about Ryan again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of the date of this chapter being posted, it is Nick Fink's birthday (the wonderfully talented man behind our beloved Mud Man), so this being posted in celebration of his birthday.


	5. Time Moves Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _Bold Italic_** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on a video chat.

When Hope got back to school, she circled around the grounds towards the Old Mill, did a double search to make sure she wouldn’t be surprised again, and then dropped her invisibility spell. She walked as casually as she could towards her room, while continuously glancing around, and upon reaching her room, closed and locked her door behind her. Placing the sound barrier around her room, Hope pulled her phone out of her bag and moved towards her bed. Hit the video chat button, she called Ryan as she got ready for bed.

“ ** _I thought I would be seeing your beautiful face, instead I’m looking at the ceiling._** ” Ryan commented, and Hope could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Give me a sec.” Hope replied.

“ ** _One. Nope... still looking at the ceiling. But I take it you made it back to your school safely?_** ” Ryan asked.

“I did. And that’s why I was calling. To let you know I made it back.”

 ** _“I would have been fine with just receiving a text letting me know that. But this is better. I get to hear your voice... see your face..._** ”

“I’m getting changed for bed, Ryan. I wasn’t expecting you to answer so quickly, but on the chance that you did, I left my phone on my bed while I changed.” Hope explained.

“ ** _Ah, got it. But this truly is better, because now I can see you when I ask you what I forgot to ask while we were together today._** ” Ryan commented.

“And what would that be?” Hope asked as she sat down on the bed and leaned against the pillows.

“ ** _Hope, will you be my girlfriend? I don’t want us to get caught up in talking about a future where we’re together, without asking you to officially be my girlfriend now._** ”

“Yes. I will be your girlfriend, Ryan. But now I want to kiss you, and I can’t.”

“ ** _I feel the same way. I started kicking myself the second you turned the corner for not having asked you in person. I had it all planned out, and it was going to be super romantic and heartfelt, and then the second you were jumping into my arms, I forgot it all and was just wrapped up in you. And being near you._** ”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”

“ ** _Absolutely. Entirely your fault, Princess. I was swept away by your mere presence that I lost the ability to think of anything else other than being with you in that very moment._** ”

“Jerk.”

“ ** _I’d never blame you, Hope. Please know that. Even if something is, technically, your fault, I’d never blame you._** ”

“That’s not necessary, Ryan. If something’s truly my fault, I need to own up to that so that I don’t keep doing it.”

“ ** _I saw a movie a while back, and the main character was telling her best friend’s boyfriend that it’s never the girl’s fault, even when it is. I firmly support that sentiment._** ”

“Ah, Vampire Academy. I love that movie.”

“ ** _Who’s your favorite? Rose or Lissa? I see you being a bit of both, to be honest._** ”

“If I tell you, will you tell me who you’re favorite male character is?”

“ ** _It’d only be fair._** ”

“I like Rose better than Lissa.” Hope said. “But if you’re about to tell me that you like Christian, I can always be your Lissa.”

“ ** _I do like Christian, but I don’t much care for Lissa. Not to mention Christian and Rose have more chemistry, and a more entertaining relationship, in my opinion._** ” Ryan admitted.

“So if we did a couple’s costume for Halloween this year, we’d be two characters that aren’t even an actual couple?” Hope asked.

“ ** _How would either of us explain a couple’s costume when we wouldn’t be able to be seen together?_** ” Ryan countered.

“Not tell anyone that we’re actually wearing a couple’s costume.” Hope replied with a shrug.

“ ** _True._** ” Ryan nodded. “ ** _And now I’m imagining you wearing a dress similar to the one Rose wears at the end of the movie to the Equinox dance, and it’s a sexy as hell image. And that means it’s an image that I shouldn’t be having._** ”

“I think it’s going to take more than 24 hours to give us better control over what we do and don’t do that will give the other mental pictures that we shouldn’t be having.” Hope commented while worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

“ ** _I agree. And in the meantime, I’ll be doing everything I can to think innocently about you when I take care of my erection._** ”

“Why is so dark?”

“ ** _I’m sitting in my car, in the garage, with the garage door shut._** ”

“Why not go upstairs?”

“ ** _Because I wouldn’t put it past my idiot brother to be waiting outside. The garage itself is soundproof. So sitting in my car with the garage door shut, if he is waiting outside, he can’t hear our conversation._** ”

“Got it. Well, I do have some more homework to do before I crash. So I’ll talk to you later.”

“ ** _Right. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good night, Princess._** ”

“Sweet dreams, my Dark Prince.”

**Legacies – YME - Legacies**

The next month and a half was a whirlwind. Hope was studying for finals, and Ryan had started a search for a new place to live. The sooner he got away from Seylah and Landon, the lesser the chance that they would ever see him and Hope together. But every apartment and smaller house that he looked at was way out of his price range, and the longer it took to find a place, the more discouraged Ryan became. He hadn’t told Hope about his plan to move away from Seylah’s house, because he didn’t want to get her excited about something that was quickly looking like it wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t until the last day of school for Hope, when Ryan’s luck took a turn for the better. He had just opened the bookstore for the day when the owners of the store, an older couple, walked in and gave him a smile.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you two here today. Is everything okay? How are your parents?” Ryan asked as he walked over to greet them properly.

“That’s actually why we’re here, Ryan. We have some news for you.” The woman, Anastasia, said.

“I take it that it’s not good news?” Ryan inquired, taking in the reserved look on the faces of both of the people standing before him.

“Unfortunately not. Ryan, there’s no easy way to tell you this, but... my parents passed away over the weekend. Their will reading was yesterday, and since we had no indication that they were leaving you anything, we didn’t think to reach out. But we aren’t surprised in the least that you were, in fact, left something.” The man, Gavin, said.

“Wait... your parents left _me_ something? Why would they do that?” Ryan questioned. “I haven’t seen them in years, and I haven’t had a chance to write to them in the last few years.”

“They thought very highly of you, Ryan. And we always kept them up to date on everything going on with you, and they’re proud of. Of everything you’ve done with the bookstore. And was always the case where you were involved, they wanted to make sure you were taken care of. Ryan, they left you the bookstore, and a decent amount of money.” Anastasia said she placed her hands on Ryan’s shoulders.

“I don’t deserve any of it.” Ryan replied as he looked down, trying to blink back tears.

“Ryan, listen to me. Mom and Dad loved you, and they saw you as a member of our family; we all do. And we aren’t contesting the will. What they left you is yours.” Gavin said.

Before anyone of them could say anything else, the door to the store opened, and the three of them turned to see who it was. When Ryan saw that it was Hope, his lips lifted into a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Something that Hope quickly picked up on and was by his side in a moment. She eyed the older couple skeptically as Ryan pressed a quick kiss to her temple and moved to lock the front door. When he came back, Ryan met Anastasia’s expectant look with a level stare.

“Ryan, are you going to introduce us to your friend?” Gavin asked with a half smirk.

“Gavin, Anastasia, this is Hope. Hope, this is Gavin Fell, and his wife Anastasia. They are, well _were_ , the owners of the bookstore.” Ryan said evenly.

“What do you mean ‘ _were’_?” Hope asked.

“We came to inform Ryan that my parents passed away over the weekend, and that they left the bookstore to him their will.” Gavin explained.

“In all of our conversations, you never mentioned that you had a connection to one of the Founding Families.” Hope said with a side glance at Ryan.

“It never made you curious how I’m able to treat a women with respect, and Landon can’t? I had something that he didn’t. When I was younger, Gavin’s parents lived next door to us. When they were able to, they would watch me when Seylah went to work, so I wasn’t subjected to nearly as much as Landon was at the club. And Mr. Fell would tell me stories of how men treated women correctly, back in the day- whenever I would mention how horrible the women at Seylah’s club were being treated. From what Mr. Fell told me, and how I saw him treat his wife, I knew that’s how I wanted to be; that that’s how I wanted to treat women.” Ryan explained.

“But then my parents got sick, and my family decided that it was best to move them into a Senior Care Facility, so Landon never got the chance to see how horrible the treatment of women at Seylah’s club really is.” Gavin added.

“Ryan has been an honorary member of the family ever since he was a kid.” Anastasia said as she gave Ryan a sad smile.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it, Hope. The Founding Families tend to be a bit more secretive.”

“What about you, Hope? Is your family from Mystic Falls?” Anastasia asked.

“Um, my dad and most of his siblings were born here, but they moved away when he was a kid.” Hope replied, mentally going back to what she had told Ryan on her birthday, just to make sure she was telling the same version of the story.

“Maybe I know him, what’s his name?”

“You at least know of him. He came back a year or so before I was born and caused a lot of problems for people in town. Klaus Mikaelson.”

“Ah, yes, he is quite infamous around here.”

Hope nodded slowly. If these people were members of one of the Founding Families, then they knew about the Supernatural world. But Ryan definitely didn’t. And that concerned Hope immensely. There was no telling what these people would tell Ryan about her father, or about supernatural beings in general.

“We had heard that he had a daughter, but we never thought we would get a chance to meet you. Do you attend the boarding school?” Anastasia asked.

“Yes...” Hope replied slowly.

“Are you out of your mind, Ryan?” Gavin hissed suddenly.

“Nothing has happened, Gavin.” Ryan responded, immediately moving to stand in front of Hope slightly.

“Gavin, Ryan, both of you need to calm down. We aren’t judging you, Ryan.” Anastasia said softly.

“It sure sounds like Gavin is. I know what the risk is. So does Hope. We’ve been careful not to be seen together. And **_nothing_** has happened.” Ryan insisted.

“Ryan...” Hope said softly as she grabbed his hand in both of hers.

“We’ll be right back. Please take a look around.” Ryan said while taking a step back from Gavin who simply nodded at Ryan’s words.

Leading him towards the back room, Hope kept a firm grip on Ryan’s hand. Once they were alone, Hope turned to face him and Ryan leaned down to press his lips to hers.

“What are you doing here, Princess? Shouldn’t you be at school taking your finals?” Ryan asked once the kiss broke.

“I took my finals early, because my mom wants me to come home today. She and her boyfriend are coming to pick me up. They’ll be here in a couple of hours. Since I’m already packed, I wanted to come see _my_ boyfriend so that we can spend the next few hours together before I have to leave for the summer.” Hope replied as she ran her hands up and down on Ryan’s chest.

“A whole summer? I was looking forward to getting to spend more time with you with less need for sneaking.” Ryan replied with a pout.

“Now who’s teasing with that?” Hope asked with a smirk as she pushed herself up onto her toes to kiss the pout away. “We can still text and video chat all the time.” She offered.

“But it’ll make it even more impossible to wrap my arms around you when you’re 3-4 states away. At least when you’re at school we’re in the same town.”

“What do you want me to say, Ryan? I can’t stay at school all summer.”

“I know, I know. God, I just want to be selfish and keep you to myself for the next 3 months.”

“How about this... you plan the most amazing welcome back party for 2 for when I come back in the fall for the new semester?” Hope asked as she draped her arms over Ryan’s shoulders.

“I’m terribly at planning parties. I would have to bug you about every little detail.” Ryan replied while wrapping his arms around Hope’s waist.

“That’d be absolutely horrible. Having to talk to my boyfriend all the time.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to survive it all.”

Hope smiled brightly up at him before pushing herself up onto her toes and pressing her lips to his. The force at which she pulled him towards her had Ryan stumbling slightly and having to brace himself against the wall behind Hope, with his other arm firmly around her waist, before they both fell and he landed on top of her. Over the last couple of months, they had both become more comfortable when it came to kissing each other, but it still surprised Ryan when he felt Hope’s tongue swiping along his lips. His surprised gasp had Hope smirking into the kiss before taking the opportunity to explore more of her boyfriend’s mouth. The clearing of a throat had the young couple pulling apart.

“What was it you were saying, Ryan? About nothing having happened between the two of you?” Gavin asked as he leaned against the doorframe of the backroom.

“Not that it’s really _any_ of your business, Gavin, but I meant nothing sexual has happened.” Ryan clarified as he held Hope close.

“I’m not your father, Ryan, I’m not going to tell you, or Miss Mikaelson, what you can and can’t do, just please be careful. Even having someone see the two of you kissing could have Sheriff Donovan on your case about being involved with a minor.” Gavin said with a sigh.

“You just saw us kissing.” Hope pointed out.

“Yes, but my wife and I moved away from Mystic Falls awhile back. We’re only here today to have Ryan sign the legal documents that transfer ownership of the bookstore from us to him, and to give him the contact information of the banker that can help get the money my parents left him transferred to his own account. After that, we will not be sticking around. So we have no reason to out your relationship to anyone. Ryan is like family to us, and we, much like your own family, Miss Mikaelson, protect our own. And I really don’t want to do anything that crosses your family.” Gavin explained.

“That’s a wise decision.” Hope said with a nod.

“Ryan, when you’re done, we’re ready for you. And Anastasia has an idea that she would like to run by you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Once Gavin headed back towards the front, Ryan turned to Hope and gave her a slight frown.

“Gavin seems to know more about your family than I do. And I’m not sure if I should be hurt by that or not.”

“There was a case made, before I was born, to have the Mikaelson family instated as one of the Founding Families, since my step-grandfather’s family was from here as well, but the Town Council didn’t find any validity to the claim and dismissed the case. My dad went a bit crazy because of it, and lashed out, hurting a lot of people. The other Founding Families are aware of what my father can do when he’s denied something, or just when someone crosses him in general. And like Gavin said, my dad is infamous around Mystic Falls. So ever since I started going to the boarding school, I was always warned by my family to not mention the family name. So the students at school think my last name is Marshall. Not Mikaelson.” Hope explained.

“So it has nothing to do with you not trusting me enough?” Ryan asked.

“No, because I trust you with my life, Ryan. My family is just extremely protective of me, being the only one for my generation. Aunt Freya, and my other aunt and uncles, they’re all incapable of having children. But because my dad was the result of an affair, he was able to conceive a child. Although it was believed to be impossible for him as well, until it was revealed that my mom was pregnant.”

“So you’re a miracle baby?”

“Yep.”

Ryan smiled and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead before taking her hand in his and leading her back towards the front of the store. Pulling out the stool for her at the register, Ryan helped Hope onto it before turning towards Gavin and Anastasia. While both had a worried look of reservation in their eyes, both were smiling and it mostly put Ryan at ease. Standing behind Hope, Ryan reached around her to brace himself on the counter to look over the documents.

“So, how much many, exactly, did your parents leave me?” Ryan asked slowly.

“$250,000. And obviously, any profit from the store goes to you as well.” Anastasia said when Gavin clenched his hand into a fist on the counter.

“That’s a lot of money.” Hope muttered.

“But it helps.” Ryan added.

“Helps with what?” Hope asked.

“I, um, I’ve been trying, since just after your birthday, to find a new place. I want to limit the chances that Seylah or Landon can see us together, and with this money, my options of what I can actually afford open up. I didn’t say sooner because I couldn’t afford any of the places that I was looking at, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up if it ended up being a pipe dream.” Ryan said.

“Ryan...” Gavin said warningly.

“Relax Gavin, I’m not looking for a new place to so that Hope can move in. At least not yet. But being away from Seylah and Landon is a top priority.” Ryan said with a light kiss to Hope’s shoulder.

“Do you bake at all, Hope?” Anastasia asked, changing the subject.

“As much as I can, when I’m not busy with school.” Hope replied slowly.

“Then my idea might just work, for the future, of course.” Anastasia said with a bright smile.

“Gavin mentioned you had an idea to run pass me.” Ryan noted with a nod.

“A remodel of the store to include a little area for a small café. Hope could supply the baked goods, if it’s something that you’re both interested in doing, of course.” Anastasia suggested.

“We’ll have to discuss it. I want us to spend our money wisely before we do something as risky as attempting a remodel.” Ryan commented and Hope turned to press a kiss to his cheek with a wide smile.

“ _’Our’_ money?” Gavin questioned.

“Yes, ours, my money, and Hope’s money. If she wants to help me with remodeling to include a café that would be stocked with baked goods that she makes, I wouldn’t want her to feel like she isn’t truly a part of it.” Ryan explained, his hands going to wrap around Hope’s waist. “Because I see her in my future, and any decision I make where my future is concerned has to involve Hope.”

“Does that mean I get to help pick out a house or apartment?” Hope asked.

“Of course it does, Princess.” Ryan replied.

“Ryan, with everything going on with your family, I’d recommend not giving them access to the money. Seylah would most likely try to use it to further her club, and Landon would most likely spend the entire amount. More so, I’d say your best bet would be create an account at the bank that my parents used, and if necessary, transfer any money you currently have in the bank to the new account. Just to protect your assets.” Gavin suggested.

“I will. I’m not letting the anywhere near any of this.” Ryan said as he signed the paperwork that Anastasia handed him and took the business card for the banker.

“Okay then. We’ll get these to the lawyer and have him mail everything for the bookstore here. I’ve never trusted Seylah completely.” Anastasia commented.

“Thank you both for everything. It was nice seeing you again, if only it had been under better circumstances.” Ryan said with a sad smile as he rubbed Hope’s sides.

“It was nice meeting you, Hope.”

Hope nodded to Anastasia with a smile and gave Gavin a solemn look. Once Ryan walked them out and locked the door behind them, he made his way back to Hope and lifted her onto the counter before stepping between her legs, cupping her face in his hands and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. If they only had a few hours before she would be leaving for the summer, Ryan wanted to make the most of it.

“Don’t you have to open the store for the day?” Hope asked when they pulled apart for air.

“You’re having to go home for the summer, I’m wanting to spend the time that I have with you. If I open the store, then I can’t touch you, let alone be close to you.” Ryan replied as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Then why don’t we head up to the roof? Less likely of someone looking into the store, wondering why it’s closed, and seeing us together.” Hope suggested.

“That is definitely a good idea, because I have a surprise for you up there, anyway.” Ryan said, kissing the tip of her nose.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Ry.” Hope said in a small voice.

“I know, but I wanted to.” Ryan replied. “Your Highness.” He added with a smile as he helped Hope down from the counter.

“Any clues as to what my surprise is, My Dark Prince?” Hope asked as Ryan led her towards the door leading to the roof.

“Not a single one. I told you before, I want to spoil you, and I want to surprise you whenever I can.” Ryan replied with a smile.

“Ryan...” Hope said slowly, the corners of her lips dipping down into a slight frown.

“Hey, none of that Princess. This is a happy surprise.” Ryan said while brushing his thumb across Hope’s cheek.

“I don’t have to close my eyes, do I? Because I’m pretty sure the first time you brought me up here, I almost stumbled a few times.”

“Not unless you want to.”

Hope nodded and kept her eyes open, making sure to step carefully in the dimly lit staircase as she followed Ryan to what she had deemed ‘their spot’ over the last 6 weeks that they had been dating. Even with no indication from Ryan on what to expect, what greeted Hope when Ryan opened the door to the roof was completely unexpected. Across from the door stood a small structure that hadn’t been there the last time that Hope had come into town to see Ryan. It didn’t look like much, but from the dimensions of the outside, Hope could tell that it should at least be cozy enough to fit the two of them. As she admired the handiwork, Ryan wrapped his arms around her and held up a small jewelry box.

“Ryan...” Hope said, a hint of warning in her voice.

“It’s not a ring, Princess. Although you definitely deserve one.” Ryan replied. “Just open it.”

Hope took a deep breath as she leaned back in Ryan’s embrace and took the box from his hands. Opening the lid, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell on a beautiful silver bracelet that held aquamarine and emerald stones. As she ran her fingers over the stones, Ryan took it from the box and clasped it around her wrist.

“Just a little something to remember me by when you’re back home.” Ryan whispered as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck.

“I don’t need a bracelet to remember you, Ryan. You’re on my mind constantly. Have been since we met.” Hope replied before turning around in his arms. “But I absolutely love it. Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary, Princess. I will always do whatever I can to make you happy.” Ryan said, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “Would you like to see the rest of your surprise?” He asked.

“Yes please.” Hope breathed out. “What exactly is it for?” She asked.

“My plan is to have half of it be a workspace for you, whether that’s painting or doing homework; and then then there’s a couch on the other side that folds out into a bed. If we are so inclined to want to take a nap.” Ryan explained as he took her hand and led her over to the studio.

“You know that we can’t do that, honey.”

“Turning the tables on me, Princess?

“Absolutely. The thought you put into all of this though, it’s amazing.”

“Just a little bit more protection. I don’t imagine my idiot brother ever getting a brain to think about trying to get up here, but on the off, off chance that he does, I want to make sure he can’t get to you.”

“Everything you’ve done since we met has been to protect me. And it makes me fall for you more and more every day.”

With a smile, Ryan opened the door and let Hope step inside ahead of him to look around as he leaned against the doorframe. Watching as Hope ran her fingers over every available surface and took in the coziness of the studio, Ryan knew even more that he would never stop doing what he could to continue making Hope happy. He could truly see her in his future, and the only part of that vision that scared him was that Hope was too young to be saying the same thing, and therefore, he had no idea if she saw the same thing that he did. He had a feeling that she did, but she hadn’t said it yet, and Ryan didn’t want her to. Not when she was only 15. He wanted her to experience as much of her life as she could before he tied her down to a life in Mystic Falls. Especially when her home was in New Orleans. Ryan couldn’t imagine that the small town that he had lived in his entire life would be enough for a daughter of the Big Easy. He could only pray that it was enough for her. That _he_ was enough for her.

“Are you just going to stand in the doorway and watch me?” Hope asked.

“Just wanted to give you space to take it all in before I joined you.” Ryan replied as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him and wrapping his arms around Hope’s waist. “Do you like it?” He asked.

“I love it.” Hope breathed out before pressing her lips to his.

“When I mentioned the couch folds out to bed, for if we ever wanted to take a nap, I meant exactly that. There are bound to be times where one or both of us have had a really trying day, and all we want to do is sleep, and I don’t want us to lose out on time together because we’re tired. So I didn’t intend it to be for anything other than sleeping.” Ryan commented as he led Hope to the couch and sat down, pulling her down onto his lap. “I made a promise, and I don’t intend on breaking that promise.”

“I know. There just haven’t been any times for me to turn the tables, so I saw a chance and I took it.” Hope said with a smile.

“So... I’m thinking that we need some art to spruce the place up a bit. Know of any local artists that we can support?”

“I can think of one. But she has a very specific payment policy.”

“And what would that be?”

“She takes payment in the form of kisses and requires her client to be the model.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“Well, we should talk to her about those requirements. Because I really don’t think my beautiful girlfriend would like me kissing other women.”

“I think I could manage to not be _too_ jealous.”

“Do you have everything you need to paint, Princess?”

“I do, thank you. You stay right here and get comfortable.”

Moving towards the work area, Hope pulled out one of the smaller canvases that Ryan had stocked for her and set it up on the easel. Turning the stool and easel so that she was facing Ryan, Hope got to work with outlining the picture first before setting up the paint. By the time that she was putting the finishing touches on it, her phone was vibrating, indicating that she had a text. Motioning to Ryan that she was done with the painting, Hope grabbed her phone and saw that the text was from her mom, letting her know that she would be in Mystic Falls in 30 minutes. With a deep sigh, Hope glanced up at Ryan and frowned.

“I need to get going.” Hope said slowly.

“You’re mom’s almost here?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah. She’ll be here in about half an hour.” Hope replied.

“Then I guess I should take you back downstairs so that you can head back to school and I can open up the store for the rest of day.” Ryan commented with a sigh.

“I don’t want to go.” Hope said.

“I don’t want you to go either, Princess, but you have to.” Ryan replied. “I love the painting, by the way. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

With a quick kiss, Ryan opened the door for Hope and followed her out onto the roof before closing and locking the door to the studio behind him. Lifting her into his arms, Ryan carried Hope downstairs to the store and placed her feet on the ground.

“Head out through the back door and let me know when you get back to school. I’ll talk to you later, Princess.”

“Talk to you later.”

Blowing a kiss to Ryan, Hope took off towards the school. Once she turned the far corner, she activated the invisibility spell and ran all the way back to the school, reaching the front of the school just minutes before she saw her mom’s car pull in through the gate of the school. Slipping behind a pillar, Hope dropped the spell and walked out to meet her mom and Declan.

“Hey there, kiddo.” Declan said with a smile as he got out of the car.

“Hey Declan. You didn’t have to come with mom to pick me up.” Hope replied while throwing her arms around him.

“And miss out on seeing you sooner?” Declan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s just go get Hope’s stuff and head out.” Hayley suggested as she moved around the car to pull her daughter into a hug.

“Hey mom.” Hope said as she went to hug Hayley as well, only for her mom to grab her hand.

“Who gave you this? It looks new.” Hayley inquired.

“A friend.” Hope replied with a pointed look. “A token to remember him by when I’m home.” She added in a whisper that only her mom could hear.

“I take it he’s been behaving?” Hayley asked.

“Yes. A perfect gentleman.” Hope said with a nod.

“Good.”

Leading Hayley and Declan into the school, Hope made a beeline for her room. She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible to avoid Declan seeing anything that he shouldn’t. Hope had no idea why her mom hadn’t actually talked him out of coming. Unless this was making up for a missed date or something, Hope couldn’t see a plausible reason for Hayley thinking that bringing a human who had no idea about the supernatural world to a boarding school for supernatural kids. It was for that exact reason that she hadn’t suggested Ryan showing up at the school since the night of her birthday. She had no way of truly explaining the supernatural world to her boyfriend at the moment. She desperately wanted to tell Ryan, but she needed more time to figure out how.

“Hayley, it’s so good to see you again.” Caroline said from the door, pulling Hope from her thoughts.

“It’s good to see you too, Caroline. This is my boyfriend, Declan.” Hayley replied.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss...” Declan said.

“Mrs. Salvatore. But Caroline will do just fine.” Caroline corrected.

“Ah, so you and your husband run the school, then.” Declan deduced.

“Not exactly. My late husband passed away in an explosion the night we got married. The father of my surrogate daughters and I run the school together.” Caroline explained.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Declan said with a frown.

“It’s okay. I have my daughters, I have the school.” Caroline replied with smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes.

“Mom and Declan were just helping me grab my stuff so that I can head home today.” Hope said quickly.

“I know, and I need to talk to your mother really quick.” Caroline said turning to face Hayley.

“Sure.” Hayley said with a reserved nod. “Help Hope with her luggage and I’ll meet you both at the car.” She said with a smile and quick peck to Declan’s lips.

With a nod, Declan held out his hands for Hope’s suitcases and followed her out of the room as Hayley turned to face Caroline. Both women waited until Hope and Declan were out of ear shot before Caroline spoke again.

“What were you thinking, Hayley? Bringing a human who doesn’t know about the Supernatural world? What if a student had done something that couldn’t be explained as fluke? How would you have explained that?” Caroline asked.

“I would have compelled him to forget.” Hayley said with a shrug.

“Please don’t bring him back here, Hayley. I know he’s been more of a father figure for Hope than Klaus, but you told me yourself that he doesn’t know about this world. And I don’t want to see Hope lose another father figure. She’s already lost 2 of them.” Caroline said.

“I’m well aware of the number of father’s Hope has lost. Given that one of them was my husband, and he had his heart ripped out in front of me. And not that it’s really any of your business, but I tried to get Declan to stay in New Orleans. He insisted on seeing Hope’s school, and I couldn’t think of a legitimate reason as to why he shouldn’t. It was risky, I know that, but I would have handled it if something had gone wrong.” Hayley retorted as she folded her arms across her chest. “Is there anything else?”

“Are you aware that your daughter sneaks off of campus twice a week to head into town?” Caroline questioned.

“Yes, I do. She needs some sort of normalcy in her life, Caroline. You know that. So as long as she isn’t doing anything illegal when she goes into town, then her sneaking off of campus shouldn’t be that big of a deal. She’s a smart girl, she knows not to use her powers away from school.” Hayley replied.

“I’m just trying to help, Hayley, and I wanted to make sure you knew.” Caroline said.

“If you want to help my daughter, Caroline. Track down Klaus and get him to call Hope.”

With that, Hayley walked out of the room and made her way to the car. When she slid into the driver’s seat, Hope was already typing away on her phone with a smile on her face. It was definitely an improvement since she had seen her daughter on Hope’s birthday. Hayley could only silently thank Ryan for making Hope the happiest that she had been in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Anastasia Fell are OCs that are only going to be seen in this chapter. They might be mentioned here and there throughout the rest of the story, but that's about it. Gavin is Meredith and Logan Fell's uncle. I wanted to have the couple that owned the bookstore that Ryan works at be a nod to a Founding Family, and the Fells were the only family that it made sense to do that for.


	6. I Was Looking for Your Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _Bold Italic_** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on a video chat.  
>  **Bold** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on the phone.  
>  **Bold** text by itself is the person not present in the scene that's texting.  
>  _Italic_ text in quotes is a verbalized spell.  
>  _Italic_ text by itself is the person present in the scene that's texting.  
> All _italic_ text is a memory.

Despite being back home, Hope was bored out of her mind. She missed Ryan, and no amount of texting and video chats could make up for it. She wanted to see him, to kiss him, just be around him, but that wasn’t possible. Not when there were 3-4 states between them. Hope was quickly starting to think that the summer couldn’t get much worse. Sure, she was with her mom and aunt and Declan, but her mom and Freya were so on edge about the fact that Hope being in New Orleans was starting to cause some low alarm natural disasters to happen that Hope really couldn’t enjoy being home. And it just made her irritated. Every time she had gone home during the summer or over Winter and Spring breaks, the natural disasters started to happen, yet they didn’t bother trying to find a way to get around it. Hope had tried a couple of times over the last couple of years to talk her mom and Aunt Freya into getting a small house in Mystic Falls, just to lessen their anxiety, but they weren’t going for it. But this was getting ridiculous.

“Hope, I’m heading out to the bayou, do you want to come with me?” Hayley asked as she leaned against the door to her daughter’s room.

“Not really. I can’t imagine the things that Henry has told the other wolves, or even how they’re treating him for his choice last month. What I want is to go back to Mystic Falls. You and Aunt Freya are so concerned that the world is going to end when I come home, yet you won’t even consider renting a place in Mystic Falls during my breaks from school. It doesn’t make sense.” Hope replied as she turned from her blank easel to face her mother.

“Does this have anything to do with Ryan being in Mystic Falls?” Hayley inquired.

“Do I miss my friend, of course I do. But no, mom, this isn’t about him.” Hope said with a roll of her eyes.

“You talk to him on a daily basis.” Hayley noted.

“Yes... because I miss his presence and talking on the phone and texting him is the only thing that has been keeping me from going so stir crazy.” Hope retorted. “But I’m genuinely curious, mom... why are you so against just renting a place in Mystic Falls for my breaks from school. Winter Break is only 2 weeks; Spring Break is only 1 week; and then summer is only 3 months. It’s not even half a year. It’s just under a third of the year. But it would take away the worry that you and Aunt Freya have constantly when you bring me home.” She continued.

“You’re home is here, Hope. Our family is here.” Hayley replied, glancing away from her daughter.

“That’s a bullshit answer mom, and you know it. Our family? Rebekah and Marcel are in New York; Kol and Davina are in San Francisco; Elijah is in France; and Dad... Dad is god knows where. Freya keeps making excuses as to why she can’t join Keelin, and I honestly think if that continues, it’s going to put more of a strain on their relationship. The Crescent Pack doesn’t accept me as one of their own because I have too much of Dad in me. And over the last 7 years, they’ve slowly been resenting you and turning away from you, despite you being their Alpha. And pretty much everyone who was present at yours and Jackson’s wedding is gone, so you’re the only Hybrid left in the pack.” Hope said. “I know that our family’s whole thing is ‘Always and Forever’, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay rooted in New Orleans. Especially if my just being here is going to put the entire city in peril. I know that at least one death will end up leaving blood on my hands when I trigger my curse. I don’t want to be the reason that the entirety of New Orleans falls.”

“I know this is hard to understand, Hope, but...”

“No mom, no ‘buts’. I want a real answer as to why you’ve dismissed the idea of renting a place in Mystic Falls is such a bad idea.”

Hope was on her feet now, her arms folded across her chest, and she was pacing back and forth, waiting for her mom’s response. But Hayley seemed to be struggling to find the words. Hope didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. As the minutes dragged on, Hope started to realize that her mother wasn’t going to answer the question. However it seemed to be that Hope realized this before Hayley did and she was already laying in on her mother before Hayley was able to respond.

“You’re unbelievable, Mom. You care more about staying put like a good dog rather than going somewhere that my presence doesn’t cause natural disasters. News flash... Elijah doesn’t remember who you are. He doesn’t remember any of us. He’s not going to come back any time soon. He has no idea he carries a piece of the Hollow in him, or that he needs to stay away from us. With Vincent’s help, Marcel compelled Elijah’s memories away of his loyalty to us. He’s not going to suddenly remember everything and come running back to you and sulk that you aren’t waiting in his bed. We aren’t controlled by the rest of the family. We can get a place to rent in Mystic Falls for 1/3 of the year so that we don’t put other people in New Orleans in danger by bringing me home.” Hope ranted.

“This isn’t about Elijah.” Hayley snapped.

“Then who is it about?” Hope asked. “Declan? Dad? Jackson? Despite Dad’s shitting parenting, even he would understand if we stayed somewhere other than here during my breaks from school. And Declan could take some time off of work during my Winter and Spring Breaks, and possibly get a job at the Mystic Grill during the summer. And going somewhere that’s safer won’t diminish Jackson’s memory. You don’t need to be in New Orleans to remember your dead husband, Mom.”

Hope knew that she had hit a nerve when her mom’s eyes flashed gold, but the young tribrid didn’t flinch. Hayley wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t hurt her. At least not physically. But when Hayley silently held out her hand, Hope knew she screwed up.

“Phone, now.” Hayley said after a few minutes of silence when Hope didn’t budge.

“No, Mom... please, I’m sorry.” Hope said, her eyes wide.

“Then no magic for the rest of the summer.” Hayley said.

“That’s not fair!”

“Either no phone, or no magic.”

Hope knew that wasn’t really her choice. Her mom was challenging her. Seeing which was more important to her: Ryan or her magic. With a sigh of frustration, Hope stomped over to her bedside table and grabbed her bracelet from the drawer. She hadn’t worn it since she was 7, because it was specifically made to block her magic, but she would absolutely go out of her mind if she couldn’t talk to Ryan for the rest of the summer. She could always take her bracelet off every once in awhile if she needed to let out a little bit of steam. She would literally go crazy without contact with Ryan. Holding up her wrist, Hope locked eyes with her mother.

“Happy? No magic.” Hope said.

“Okay. Also, grounded for the rest of the summer. No leaving the house.”

“I’m already _on_ house arrest, Mom. There’s no need to confine me to the house even more.”

“You are dangerously close to losing your phone _and_ not being allowed to use magic for the rest of the summer. So don’t push your luck, young lady.”

Hope looked down at the floor as she shuffled her foot. The whole point of choosing the ‘no magic’ option was because she knew she wouldn’t make it through the rest of the summer if she couldn’t talk to Ryan. By the time she looked up again to apologize to her mom, Hayley was gone and Hope let out a sigh. Glancing over her shoulder at her mostly blank canvas, she realized that she had lost the inspiration to paint at the moment and decided to go for a swim. Freya had insisted on having one built a year previous, and it was the only things that helped to clear Hope’s mind when she had too much of an artistic block to paint. So after changing into her swimsuit, Hope pulled on a cover up and slipped her shorts back on before grabbing her phone and a beach towel and making her way downstairs. As she was nearing the pool, however, her phone rang and Ryan’s face was lighting up her screen, requesting a video chat. Hitting the ‘answer’ button, Hope lifted the phone to her face and gave her boyfriend a half smile.

“ ** _Okay... added to the list of things that I don’t like seeing you do, right underneath ‘crying’ is giving me a sad half smile. What’s wrong?_** ” Ryan asked with a slight frown.

“Had a fight with my mom. Threw some below the belt verbal jabs at her. Definitely not my finest moment, given that I’m now grounded for the rest of the summer and can’t leave the house.” Hope replied while dropping her towel on a lounge chair and shimmying out of her shorts.

“ ** _Where are you, then? That definitely doesn’t look like any part of the house that I’ve seen in the background during any of our previous video chats._** ” Ryan inquired.

“Indoor pool. Aunt Freya insisted on getting one put in last year. Just haven’t been up to swimming until today.” Hope said with a shrug.

“ ** _Now I’m curious, Princess._** ” Ryan commented with a playful wink.

“I’m not letting you see what I look like in a bikini via video chat, honey.”

“ ** _Fine... I’ll just let my imagination wander to dangerous territory... all by it’s lonesome. I can’t have just a little peek?_** ”

“Nope.”

“ ** _No fun, Princess._** ”

“Ry... you know perfectly well what you would do if I showed you what I look like in a bikini while we’re video chatting. You’d take a screen shot and use it to get off. And then you’d essentially be in possession of child pornography. And you’re better than _him_ in that area.”

“ ** _You’re right..._** ”

“You’re pouting, honey.” Hope said in a sing-song voice as her eyes twinkled.

“ ** _The things you do to me, Princess._** ” Ryan said with a shake of his head. “ ** _Enjoy your swim, I’ll talk to you later._** ”

“Definitely. I’ve gotten accustomed to talking to you at night before falling asleep. I don’t think I’ve gone to bed any night since we met without having first talked to you. And every night since we met, I’ve slept amazingly, so I have no intention of stopping now.” Hope admitted.

“ ** _I feel the same way, Hope. Damn... I really wish I could kiss you right now._** ” Ryan replied with a sigh. “ ** _It’s been too long already, and you’ve only been gone for 2 weeks._** ”

“Maybe you could come down and visit?” Hope suggested, allowing herself a small glimmer of hope.

“ ** _I thought your mom was against that idea? And how exactly would it work for me to come down and visit if you’re grounded? Although, in my personal opinion, you’re too amazing to grounded._** ”

“You flatter me, Ryan. But you’re right. We can’t do much if I’m grounded. It was just a suggestion, anyway. Not like it could actually happen.”

“ ** _Hope, please don’t cry. I want more than anything to be able to go down and visit you. God, all I want is to be wherever you are._** ”

“I want that too, Ryan.”

As more tears welled in Hope’s eyes, she quickly tried to wipe them away. They both knew that this is what the summer was going to be like: not being able to be near each other; not being able to be together. But the last two weeks had already been tough enough, and Hope was already in tears. How were they supposed to make it through the rest of the summer? She didn’t want to think about it. And frankly, Ryan wasn’t fairing much better. The hand that wasn’t holding his phone was clenched into a fist, and he wanted to punch something. He downright hated it when Hope cried, just in general, but when she cried and he couldn’t hold her and wipe her tears away while telling her it would be okay? That absolutely gutted him. Even if they couldn’t do anything if he were to go down and visit her, at least being closer to each other would be better than the agony that having 3 or 4 states between them was causing them. He wanted to hold his girlfriend.

“ ** _I’ll figure something out, Princess. I promise. I refuse to let us be apart the entire summer. I will figure something out to get down to New Orleans._** ” Ryan said.

“But...” Hope trailed off.

“ ** _I’ll happily be confined to your family’s home if it means being able to spend the summer with you._** ” Ryan cut her off, the conviction in his voice causing Hope’s heart to beat just a little faster.

“You don’t have to do that, Ryan.” Hope whispered.

“ ** _Yes, I do, Hope. You’re upset, and you’ve allowed it to be my job to comfort you when you’re upset. The only way I can do that is to figure out a way to make it down to New Orleans. I’ll start making plans right now. You go enjoy your swim._** ”

“I’m not really feeling up to swimming anymore.”

“ ** _I’m sorry, Princess. I never intended for my calling to upset you in any way._** ”

“It’s fine. I can just go back upstairs and take a nap.”

Dropping her phone onto the chair, Hope pulled her shorts back on.

“ ** _Tell me what I can do to make this better, Hope. I hate that I made you upset._** ” Ryan said.

“I said it’s fine, Ryan.” Hope snapped before grabbing her phone. “I’m sorry. I’ve just almost been going stir crazy the last two weeks. And it’s just really getting to me. It’s not fair to take my frustrations out on you. Especially when you’re going through the same thing.”

“ ** _Do you want me to find a way to get down there?_** ” Ryan asked. “ ** _Or would that be too torturous?_** ”

“I don’t know how much longer I can go without you being close by, Ryan. If you can find a way, then please do. That feeling that I told you about the night of my birthday... about something bad coming... I’ve been feeling it again. More intense than before.” Hope admitted.

“ ** _How long have you been feeling this, Hope?_** ” Ryan questioned.

“Since this morning... before my mom grounded me. And I’m starting to think that feeling was fueling the jabs that I made at my mom. Ryan, I’m really scared.” Hope replied softly. “I don’t like feeling like this, Ryan, and I feel like if I talk to my family about it, they’ll either just brush it off as nothing, or get super paranoid.”

“ ** _I’ll be there as soon as I can, Princess. Hold tight, okay?_** ”

Hope couldn’t do much more than nod as hot tears welled in her eyes and started falling. The return of the Hollow was coming and she didn’t think she would be able to handle it alone. She needed her boyfriend.

“ ** _I’ll be there soon, Princess._** ” Ryan said one more time before disconnecting the call.

Hope lowered her phone to the chair as her body shook. How had she let it get to this point? She should have known that something was off with her since arriving in New Orleans. She had been taken over by the Hollow when she was a kid. Sure, it had nearly destroyed her, and now it resided in her father and her uncles and aunt, scattering her family around the globe... hopefully. Her father had never really been one to behave when being separated from Elijah was involved. The more Hope sat there thinking about everything, the more she realized she hadn’t actually _stopped_ feeling that something bad was going to happen since her birthday. Being around Ryan and focusing on finishing up the school year had just pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. And now, sitting alone, without the distractions, it was all she could think about. And if she continued to dwell on it, she was going to go out of her mind. Glancing at the pool, Hope let out a sigh. She didn’t have any desire to go back upstairs and paint, and she still didn’t feel like swimming, but if she was swimming, then she could focus on that, other than taking a nap and her body being still, giving her mind more time to haunt her.

Standing up, Hope pulled her cover up over her head and slipped back out of her shorts before making her way to the pool’s edge. Sitting down, Hope let her body slide into the water and completely submerged herself for a few moments before breaking the surface of the water again. For the next few hours, Hope just swam back and forth of the length of the pool, trying to think of anything _other_ than the impending doom that was waiting to befall her family. It wasn’t until she finally decided to get out of the water a good 3+ hours later that Hope realized something had shifted. Quickly pulling her shorts and cover up on and grabbing her towel and phone, Hope ran through the house, looking for her mom or her aunt to see what was going on. What met her had her heart plummeting into her stomach.

“Aunt Freya, what’s going on?”

“Hope... you should probably sit down.”

“No... just tell me what’s going on? Where’s Mom? Is Dad okay? Auntie Bex? Uncle Kol? Elijah? Tell me what happened!”

Hope was shaking again and not even Freya’s gentle embrace when she wrapped her niece in her arms helped to calm Hope down. Somehow the elder witch managed to get Hope to sit down and was rubbing Hope’s back as she tried to quiet the young tribrid’s tears. But it wasn’t working. Hope was only crying more and more and repeating her question of what was going on. It wasn’t until Vincent walked in, and made a beeline for Hope, casting a comfort spell on her did Hope’s tears start to subside.

“ _Papilio Lux_.” Vincent muttered and even through the blur of her tears, Hope admired the butterfly.

“Please Aunt Freya, just tell me what happened. I-I-I need to know.” Hope hiccupped as she tried to take a deep breath while continuing to talk.

“Hope... you need to promise me that you won’t freak out.” Freya said slowly.

“Comfort spell.” Hope muttered.

“Hope, Sweetheart, your mom is missing. We found her phone broken in the alley on the side of the house. We don’t know how long she’s been gone though, or who could have, or would have wanted to take her.” Freya explained.

“She had been heading to the bayou this morning, we should... we should see if she ever made it there. It would give us a time frame of how long she’s been missing.” Hope offered looking between her aunt and Vincent.

“Neither of us would be welcome in the bayou.” Vincent commented to Freya.

“Neither would I!” Hope exclaimed, mentally scrambling for ways to find out if her mom had even made it to the bayou. “Maybe I can call Henry. He should be there, he would know if Mom showed up. She’s still the Alpha. Even if they don’t completely accept her as such anymore, she still holds that position as long as she’s alive, and they wouldn’t be able to disobey her.” She suggested.

“While you do that, Vincent and I are going to try a locator spell. Maybe whomever took her didn’t think to put a cloaking spell on her.” Freya said and Hope nodded absentmindedly as her hands shook while pulling up Henry’s contact in her phone.

As she waited for Henry to pick up, Hope stood up and started pacing back and forth. She needed her mom to be okay, because the alternative would be that the last thing she had said to Hayley that morning had been said with a note of annoyance. And she desperately needed to apologize to her mom for her behavior. Maybe if she _had_ been upfront with her mom and aunt when she got home, they could have found a middle ground between the two extremes that she had mentioned to Ryan, and could have figured something, _anything_ out. Hell, even just normal teenage paranoia would have been better than the heart dropping fear that just barely being suppressed by Vincent’s comfort spell.

“ **Now you want to talk to me, Hope? You’ve avoided me since before your birthday.** ” Henry asked and Hope winced at the harsh tone of accusation in his voice.

“I’m sorry, Henry, truly. But we’ll talk about that later. I need to know... did my mom show up at the bayou at all today?” Hope asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

“ **No. She hasn’t been out here once since the start of summer. Nice to know that _my_ pack’s Alpha doesn’t even care about helping out a newly turned Hybrid.**” Henry replied bitterly.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Henry... my mom has left to head to the bayou every other day for 2 weeks.” Hope said, completely confused and sending a glance over her shoulder at Freya and Vincent before lowering her voice. “Henry, listen to me carefully... my mom has been missing, presumably since she left the house this morning, when she claimed to be heading to the bayou. I know that you and the rest of the pack aren’t her biggest fans, but please Henry, I need you to put your personal feelings for my mom aside and get the pack to help us look for her.”

“ **Why should I do anything you tell me to?** ” Henry asked.

“I’m not telling you to do anything, Henry, I am pleading with you. And if I have to, then I’m pulling rank in the pack.”

“ **You don’t have a rank in the pack, Hope. You haven’t triggered your curse yet.** ”

“Need I remind you that I am of werewolf royalty, Henry? My mother is Crescent Alpha, your Queen, and as her daughter, that makes me next Alpha in line and a Princess, by birth. Now please, Henry, please. I need your help to find my mom.”

“ **Fine... if I do this for you, Mikaelson, you owe me. A favor for a favor, in addition to you no longer ignoring me at school.** ”

“Deal. Thank you, Henry.”

“ **Don’t thank me yet, Mikaelson. I only promise to talk to the pack. If they don’t want to help, that’s their prerogative.** ”

“Fine. If you will talk to the pack, I’ll owe you a favor and I’ll stop ignoring you at school.”

“ **I’ll call you when I’ve talked to them.** ”

“Thank...”

Before Hope could continue, the line went dead. With a sigh, she slipped her phone into the pocket of her coverup and turned towards Freya and Vincent before shakily running her fingers through her still damp hair.

“Henry’s going to talk to the pack, but we shouldn’t hold our breath on them helping.” Hope said.

“Why wouldn’t they want to help? Hayley’s their Alpha.” Vincent inquired.

“She’s been lying to us about where she’s been going every other day. Henry said that she hasn’t been the bayou once since Summer started.” Hope explained.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she lie about something like that?” Freya questioned.

“I don’t know. Clearly I don’t know my mom as well as I thought. Aren’t wolves supposed to have a heightened intuition when someone is lying?” Hope asked.

“That does usually seem to be the case, but Hope, you haven’t triggered your curse yet. Don’t blame yourself for not sensing that she was lying. You also had no reason to suspect she was.” Freya replied.

“I’m not blaming myself. Not really. But think about it, Aunt Freya, Mom’s been lying to us for 2 weeks. Surely we should have realized something was off by now.” Hope pointed out.

“She has a point, Freya. If Hayley wasn’t really going to the bayou, what up with the secrecy?” Vincent questioned. “Unless it’s something that she knows none of us would approve of her doing.” He added after a moment.

“But what could be so important that she felt the need to lie in the first place?” Hope asked.

Before either of the two witches could formulate any more theories, Hope’s phone buzzed in her hand. Glancing down at the screen, Hope’s breath caught in her throat at seeing her father’s face. Shakily hitting the answer button, Hope put the phone to her ear.

“Hi daddy.” Hope said softly, her voice breaking over unshed tears.

“ **I’m looking for your mother. She’s not answering her phone. Are you with her?** ” Klaus asked.

“We don’t know where she is. Vincent and Freya found Mom’s phone broken in the alley by the house. She’s missing.” Hope said, her bottom lip trembling as the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

“ **Bloody hell...** ” Klaus mumbled. “ **I should have started heading back the second the call cut off earlier.** ” He added.

“Wait! You were on the phone with mom this morning?” Hope asked moving to put the phone on speaker.

“ **Yes. I had a question for her, so I called. She hung up rather abruptly and I haven’t been able to get ahold of her since. But I shall be there soon, and I will personally head up the search for her.** ” Klaus explained, his vagueness causing Hope to start to get angry.

“So you can make time out of your busy schedule of straight up murdering people to help find Mom, but not to call to talk to _me_? Way to show that you actually love me.” Hope snapped.

“ **Take me off speaker, Hope.** ” Klaus demanded. “ **Now.** ” He added when there was a moment of hesitation on Hope’s part when she glanced at her aunt who simply nodded slowly.

“You’re off of speaker.” Hope said bitterly.

“ **You know why I stopped contacting you, Hope. You never should have astral projected to see me. You should have been content with what I could give you.** ” Klaus said.

“That’s a fucking bullshit excuse to stop responding to me.” Hope bit out.

“ **Watch your language, Hope Andrea.** ” Klaus warned.

“You don’t have any say in how I act. You’ve been absent most of my life. I spent more consecutive time as a baby with Jackson then I’ve ever had with you. And how the hell was I supposed to be content with the few and far between letters? The irregular phone calls? I was 9 years old and lost my father all over again. All I’ve ever wanted is to have both you and mom in my life... at the same damn time. Yet you think a 9 year old could handle being abandoned by her father? That I would have a better chance at being happy without you around? That it wasn’t _killing me_ not knowing where you were, or if you were even okay? You are my father. My flesh and blood. _You_ should have explained. Called me to explain what I had seen. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel like you don’t love me. Because you talk to everyone else in the family, but me. You claim that I am the most important person in your life, yet you act like I don’t exist. That I’m the only person you truly and fully care about, the only one that has been able to love you unconditionally, but when I act on that, because I miss you, you turn your back on me. So guess what, _Dad_ , I’m done loving you.”

Jamming the ‘end call’ button, Hope turned and hightailed it to her room. She didn’t want to cry in front of her aunt and Vincent. She faintly heard them calling her name, but she knew that neither of them made an attempt to follow her. Once she reached her room, Hope slammed the door shut and threw up a barrier spell to keep everyone else out. The only person who could cross the threshold was herself. And until Ryan got there, she would keep it that way. After taking a few deep breaths as she simply stood in her room, trying to calm herself, Hope decided to take a bath. She needed to relax. She needed to calm her racing mind and try to sort things out. Not that she really thought she would be able to figure anything out. Not without her mom there to answer the questions that Hope had. But if she could get herself into a more relaxed state, she might be able to think clearly. So grabbing a pair of pajamas, Hope made her way to the bathroom, plugged her phone into her speaker and turned the water on to fill the tub.

A huge part of her doubted she would actually be able to relax though. The only times in the last 2 months that she had been able to fully relax had been when she had been in Ryan’s arms, and Ryan wasn’t here yet. And wouldn’t be until tomorrow at the earliest.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

After the call with Hope ended, Ryan got to work on sorting everything out at the bookstore. Being the new owner had it perks. Like not having to work nearly as often. And now, needing to move shifts around to cover him heading down to New Orleans. Working with the availabilities of his employees, Ryan was able to make a modified hours of operation for the summer and closed the store early for the day. He needed to get home and pack before heading out. In the two weeks that Hope had been in New Orleans, Ryan had managed to get most of his stuff into a storage space, and as he was packing the rest of his stuff up, he called the storage facility to let them know that he would making the next few months payments remotely, while simultaneously letting them know that he would be bringing the rest of the his stuff there in about an hour.

Once that was taken care of, it gave Ryan a small bit of peace of mind. He didn’t have to worry about Landon or Seylah coming into his apartment while he was away and finding anything that might lead them to finding out about Hope. Instead, if either of them came in while he was gone, they would find the apartment bare. Not that they would easily be able to get in, as he had the only key, but still, it was piece of mind. Ryan had already had enough of Landon’s incessant ramblings about the mystery girl. The one that definitely wanted him, even though they’d never met. The troubled girl who would soon enough learn her place beneath Landon. Ryan had to physically hold back a cringe and from strangling his brother at comments like that. It wasn’t much better when Landon was complaining that he hadn’t seen her around town in the last two weeks. Remembering the conversation that had ensued from that had Ryan shaking his head.

_“She’s been mysteriously absent from town the last two weeks. I bet you anything she’s playing hard to get.” Landon had said. “Sort of like a hide-and-seek, or cat-and-mouse. She can be my little mouse and hide. I’ll be the cat that finds her.”  
“You do realize that it’s summer, right? And that this girl goes to a BOARDING school, correct? Meaning she only lives there during the school year. There’s a very big chance that she doesn’t even live in Mystic Falls, let alone in Virginia. Boarding schools accept students from all over the country.” Ryan had pointed out._

_“But they board trouble students. Meaning their parents don’t want them around. Meaning they live there all year.” Landon had protested._

_“That’s not how boarding schools work, dimwit. They have summer break, same as you, and they get to go home.” Ryan had replied._

_“Maybe normal boarding schools work like that, but this one could be different.” Landon had said._

_“Or maybe you’re just a jackass.” Ryan had quipped, only for Seylah to smack him upside the back of the head._

_“Your brother has a valid point. We don’t know anything about the Salvatore Boarding School. There is a very good chance that the students stay there all year round.” Seylah had commented._

_“Highly unlikely.” Ryan has said. “I’m heading to work.”_

Once he was finished packing, Ryan did one last look around his apartment to make sure he had gotten everything. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance. Even though he and Hope clearly hadn’t had a chance to look over the places he had been looking at, he had to get away from his family. So he had been crashing on the couch in the backroom at the bookstore. It wasn’t ideal, but it was something. He still had the key to the apartment, so he would go there to take a shower, but other than that, he was living at the bookstore. But now? Now his girlfriend needed him, and since he didn’t know how long he would be in New Orleans with Hope, he wanted to cut as many ties to Seylah and Landon as he could, and if moving the rest of his stuff into storage meant that he could do that, then he would. Sure, it was a drastic decision, but it was one that he needed to make for himself, and for Hope. His family wasn’t getting to his Princess. He would make sure of that.

With the last of the boxes of his stuff in the trunk of his car, and his suitcase in the backseat, Ryan headed towards the storage facility. He was glad that he had meticulously sorted everything into the unit, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to get the last few boxes in and then be on his way to New Orleans. And that was exactly what he did. Within an hour, Ryan had the last of his stuff in storage, and was making his way down to New Orleans.

_On my way, Princess._

Ryan didn’t even care in that moment if he got a response back from Hope right away or not. Just the fact that she would know that he was on his way to her, he could only wish that it gave her some sense of comfort. Because he was really hating himself for not insisting that they try to find a way for her to stay in Mystic Falls for the summer. Neither of them would have been nearly as miserable as they both had been over the last two weeks.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Ryan had been driving for a few hours when he stopped for the night. Despite his determination to get to New Orleans, and to Hope’s side as quickly as possible, he had been finding increasingly harder to keep his eyes open. And he would be of no use to Hope if he got into an accident due to falling asleep behind the wheel. So once he found a motel, he got a room for the night and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He didn’t have a response to his earlier text from Hope, but he decided to try calling her, just in case she had simply missed the text.

“ **Hi.** ”

“What’s wrong, Princess? You sound even more miserable than earlier.” Ryan said, frowning at how small Hope’s voice sounded.

“ **Today has been awful and all I want is to curl up in your arms. I need you, Ry. Your presence keeps me centered.** ” Hope replied.

“I don’t know if you got my text a few hours ago or not, and I don’t know if it helps or not, but I’m on my way.” Ryan said.

“ **I must have missed it while I was swimming. I just got into the bath.** ” Hope explained.

“The one time I _should_ have video chatted.” Ryan said with a soft chuckle.

“ **When should you be here?** ” Hope asked.

“Unfortunately I had to stop for the night as I was starting to fall asleep behind the wheel, but I plan to head out first thing in the morning, so I’d say mid to late morning, maybe early afternoon.”

“ **Where are you staying?** ”

“I... that was the one thing that I didn’t figure out when I was getting ready to head down.”

“ **I’ll talk to Aunt Freya about you staying here. We have plenty of room.** ”

“Why wouldn’t you talk to your mom about that?”

The line went silent for a few long minutes and Ryan started to get worried. He even pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t gotten dropped.

“Hope? What happened?”

“ **My mom’s missing Ryan.** ”


	7. Together Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _Bold Italic_** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on a video.  
>  **Bold** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on the phone.  
>  **Bold** text by itself is the person not present in the scene that's texting.

Ryan was rendered speechless by those 4 words. Hayley was missing? From the time he had spent with Hope’s mother on Hope’s birthday, she didn’t strike him as the kind of person that someone would want to abduct without there being severe consequences. And why would anyone want to take Hayley away from Hope? Didn’t they already know that Hope’s father was more or less out of the picture, and therefore Hayley was the only parent that Hope really had? Ryan was angry. Pissed off, even. His Princess was already hurting because of her father’s absence, and then add on their forced separation due to him living in Virginia, and her family residing in Louisiana; but to add on someone abducting her mother? Hope was still a child, she shouldn’t have to be dealing with so much at such a young age. And all Ryan wanted to do was pull her into his arms. It was his go to reaction now. His default setting. At least where Hope was concerned. It just differed on in what context. Normally he just wanted to hold her. Feel her heart beating against his. Other times, like now, it was to offer her strength and support when she was in distress. But he was still 4 or so hours away from New Orleans, and he wouldn’t be able to finish making that drive in his current state. Because driving tired **_and_** angry was never a good combination.

“ **Ryan? Are you still there?** ” Hope asked, her voice still so small and vulnerable, and much to Ryan’s despair, a tad fearful.

“I’m still here, Princess.” Ryan replied.

“ **I’m really scared. I should be angry at her, because she’s been lying to me and to Aunt Freya since we got back about going to see some friends who live in the Bayou every other day, when she really hasn’t, but I’m not. I’m scared that someone took her to get back at me for something. I thought taking a bath would help settle my mind, but it’s not working.** ” Hope explained.

“Hope, this isn’t your fault. Whoever took your mother is at fault. I wish I could be there already, but I promise... by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be in New Orleans. You won’t have to go through this alone, Princess.” Ryan said.

“ **Thank you.** ”  
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Hope. You’re my girlfriend; it’s my job to make you feel better when you’re going through hard times. I don’t do the things that I do because I’m expecting thanks, I do them because you are the most important person in my life, and I hate seeing you upset.”

“ **I don’t deserve you, Ryan. You’re too good to me.** ”

“Please don’t say that ever again, Hope. You deserve the world. If anything, I don’t deserve you. But I try not to think about things like that. I’m beyond thrilled that a girl as amazing as you fell for a guy like me. And I will spend every day for the rest of my life, or at least as long as you’ll allow me to, making sure you know your choice wasn’t made in vain.”

“ **Saying things like that just shows that you’re too good for me, Ryan.** ” Hope said. “ **But I don’t want you to ever stop doing what you’re doing. You are truly the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.** ”

“I can say the same about you. Before we met, I had no idea what I wanted for my future. But the second you turned around to snap at me for not asking if you needed help getting that book down, it was like everything came into focus, and I knew. You were the one that I was meant to have in my life.”

“ **This is getting dangerously close to something that we are in no way ready for.** ”

“I know, but I need you to understand how serious this is to me, Hope. I care about you way too much to let you try and downplay how important you think you are to me. Because you are the other half of my soul. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. And you said you believe in soul mates, right?”

“ **I do. I just never expected to find mine when I was 15 years old. I sort of figured I would have to kiss a few frogs before finding my Prince.** ”

“It might be selfish of me to say, but I’m glad you didn’t. I have a feeling that if you had been with anyone before me, they wouldn’t have known how to treat a woman, and they would have left you jaded.”

“ **Are you saying that you wouldn’t have still been drawn to me if I was jaded?** ”

“Not at all. What I _am_ saying is that if you were jaded, then you would most likely be wary of everything that I’m doing to ensure you’re happy and safe. Instead of finding comfort in it like you do now.”

“ **Oh.** ”

“It’s been a long day, Princess. Why don’t you head to bed?”

“ **Because I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I’m scared that if I close my eyes, I’ll see something horrible in my dreams.** ”

“You won’t know if you don’t try. Will you at least try to get some sleep? For my peace of mind?”

“ **I’ll try, but I make no promises.** ”

“Trying is all I ask, Princess. And if you end up not being able to, why don’t you try painting again? I have a picture that I could send you that you could turn into a painting, if you’re willing.”

“ **Sure.** ”

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Ryan pulled up his photos and found the one he was looking for before sending it to Hope. Once it was sent, he slowly put the phone back to his ear and held his breath. He shouldn’t have the photo, and he _definitely_ shouldn’t have it on his phone, but he liked it way too much to have deleted it after it was taken. He just prayed that Hope wouldn’t be upset about him still having it. One of the many things that they had discussed within the first weeks of them being together was that Ryan should never keep any picture of them together on his phone. Because if his phone ever got into the wrong hands- _cough_ Landon _cough_ \- then that person could turn it over the Sheriff and everything that they went to such great lengths to keep hidden would be for naught and their relationship would be over before it truly got the chance to grow.

“ **You kept it?** ”

“I know we said that I shouldn’t keep any pictures of us on my phone, but this was one I just couldn’t bring myself to delete. We did set it up so that unless you _know_ it’s us, or unless you look closely, no one would know. You’re not upset, are you?”

“ **No... it’s my favorite one too. I’m glad you kept it.** ”

“Good. Because I needed a picture of you, Princess. A picture of _us_. I’m definitely ready for you to be 18... just so I can have a picture of my beautiful girlfriend as the lock screen on my phone.”

“ **That’s not all you’re wanting when I turn 18, right?** ”

“I’m a guy, Hope... and you are my insanely attractive girlfriend. Of course I want more than just being able to have a picture of you on my phone that I can show off. But that isn’t important right now. What is important is that I do what I can to take your mind off of what’s happening, in the only way I can.”

“ **It’s not easy to forget, Ry. My mom is missing, and the last conversation we had with each other was an argument. I don’t want me throwing jabs and insults at her to be the last thing I say to her.** ”

“Knowing you, Hope, it won’t be. And if determination runs in your family, then I have a feeling that your family will not rest until your mother is found and everything that was said has been forgiven.”

“ **You have more faith in that happening then I do at this point. I taunted my mom about her feelings for my uncle, and about her current boyfriend. And my dad, and my deceased step-dad. I said some really horrible things, Ryan. I wouldn’t blame her for not forgiving me.** ”

“She’s your mother, Hope. She loves you. I’m sure that whatever you said was what she really needed to hear, and that she’ll forgive you. People always say things in the heat of the moment that are hard to hear but are necessary to be said. Most people just don’t like hearing the truth, even when they ask for it. It doesn’t make you a horrible person, of even a horrible daughter. You’re human, Hope.”

Ryan heard Hope’s sharp intake of breath at the end, but just chalked it up to her needing to hear what he said. But other than that little hitch, the line remained silent, so Ryan put the phone on speaker before getting ready for bed. As he changed, he heard the water from Hope’s bath slosh a little, and he hoped that meant she was taking his suggestion about trying to get some sleep. Staying awake and worrying about her mom wasn’t going to do Hope any good.

“ **Ryan?** ”

“Yes, Princess?”

“ **I...** ”

“You know you can tell me anything, Hope.”

“ **I didn’t just go off on my mom today. I went off on my dad, too.** ”

“And you’re scared that you lost both of your parents in the same day.”

“ **Yeah. And without you close by, I’ve been feeling more alone then ever, and it’s terrible. I hate feeling so alone.** ”

“You won’t be alone for much longer, Princess. I’ll be there as soon as I can tomorrow.”

“ **And you’re truly okay with the fact that I’ve been grounded, and therefore, we won’t be able to leave the house?** ”

“I’ll be with you, Hope. Of course I’m okay with staying in the house.”

“ **Good.** ”

“You’re still worried about something, aren’t you?”

“ **You’re not... you’re not going to leave me, right?** ”

Hope’s voice had returned to the small and vulnerable one that had Ryan wanting nothing more than to hold her close until her worries melted away, but this one damn near broke his heart. He had no intention of ever leaving Hope, and the fact that she had to ask if he was going to stick around made his resolve to stay by her side all the stronger. She clearly had had too many things lost to her in her young life, and Ryan would be damned if he let himself be another.

“Listen to me very carefully, Princess... you are not going to lose me. I meant what I said when I told Gavin and Anastasia that you are my future. That hasn’t changed, and it never will. If you are certain of nothing else, please be certain in knowing that I’m always going to be here for you, in any and every way that I can be.” Ryan said. “You mean too much to me for me to ever be able to leave you.”

“ **I’ve had people I lo... I care about tell me that before, Ryan. And they’ve still left.** ” Hope commented.

“All the more reason for me having no intention of ever leaving you. You’re stuck with me, Hope.” Ryan replied with a small smile.

“ **You might want to be careful with that one, Ryan... if you hitch yourself to me, you’re getting my entire family too, and my family’s motto, if you will, is Always and Forever.** ”

“I have no opposition to that... but ‘hitched’? A little old school with that one, Princess.”

“ **Right... um... well...** ”

“Hey, I don’t mind. I quite enjoy the idea that one day we’ll be hitched. I can see us having a very happy life together, Hope. If that’s something you want, of course.”

“ **I’d like that, quite a lot, Ryan. More than I can put into words.** ”

“Then if you can’t sleep, and painting doesn’t help, think about our future together and when I get to New Orleans tomorrow, you can tell me everything that you envision.”

“ **Okay.** ”

“Good night, Princess.”

“ **Good night, my Dark Prince.** ”

Ending the call, Ryan flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The deafening silence was overwhelming and all he could think about was the fact that Hope had been taking a bath while they were on the phone. Naked and wet. Those were the only two words that were circling his mind, other than Hope’s name. And of course, those conjured up a lot of images that he was still having issues with keeping _out_ of his head, because they were too inappropriate in conjunction with Hope. His thoughts and his dick had behaved while he was on the phone with her, but now that he wasn’t trying to comfort her, all of the thoughts that had been pushed down came flooding back. And trying to continue to push them away only made his erection more painful and more difficult to ignore.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

The bath hadn’t helped nearly as much as Hope had wished it would but having been talking to Ryan while taking a bath... that was causing images that had only grown in frequency since she had been in New Orleans for the last 2 weeks. Drying her body off had only made her more aware of the fact that the thoughts of Ryan admiring her while she was taking a bath were making her aroused. Her nipples were stiff and she could feel her arousal pooling between her thighs. Biting her bottom lip, Hope let out a soft whimper; she would definitely be using her new vibrator tonight. Once she was done drying her body, Hope moved from the bathroom into her bedroom and grabbed a pair of pajamas from her dresser. Without putting thought behind her choice, Hope went with a silk camisole and boy shorts set. The shade of blue that the silk was in nearly matched her eyes and she had always loved the set. Slipping the material into place, Hope made her way to her bed and laid down. Opening the camera, she changed it to video and recorded herself blowing Ryan a kiss good night and sent it to her boyfriend before plugging her phone in and rolling over, attempting sleep.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Ryan groaned as he stared up at the ceiling. He so badly wished to have Hope laying next to him so that his presence could hopefully help her sleep. Ryan was not happy with the fact that so much had happened to her in just one day and that he wasn’t close enough to offer her physical comfort. And he highly doubted that his words of comfort had the same desired result. But when his phone dinged some 15 or so minutes later with a message from Hope, Ryan let himself believe that his words had helped. Only for his breath to catch in his throat and his eyes to go wide when he watched the video.

“ ** _Good night, honey._** ”

The words were simple, made all the more meaningful paired with her blowing him a kiss. The fact that she was giving him a good night kiss in the only way she could in that moment put a small smile on Ryan’s face. But the angle at which she was holding the camera, which he prayed was unintentional, showed off her cleavage. Ryan couldn’t stop staring at her chest as he let the video play over and over again. Yes, Hope liked to push the boundaries that they needed to have in place. Ryan knew this. In the heat of the moment, there had been times when he pushed the boundaries himself, but this? This was exactly what they had talked about him keeping _off_ of his phone, just to be safe. Surely Hope hadn’t meant to have the video be taken from that angle, right? Ryan shook his head, closed the video and turned off his phone to try and get some sleep...

It didn’t work.

The image of the lace on the neckline of the camisole caressing the tops of Hope’s breasts... the peek down the front of the top at her cleavage... it was burned into his memory. And it was that image that propelled Ryan’s movement of pushing his pajama pants down and grasping his dick. He really hadn’t wanted to get off to inappropriate thoughts of Hope (again) but he couldn’t help it. Everything about her invoked those kinds of thoughts... whether she intended them to or not, Ryan didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered, in that particular moment, was that Hope had, whether intentionally or unintentionally, aroused him even more than he already had been, and it was conjuring up mental images that he would using to get off. It was definitely looking like it was going to be a long, possibly sleepless night for him.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Hope woke up in the middle of the night with a start. Waiting a few minutes to listen for any noises that weren’t supposed to be there, Hope tried to slow her breathing before pushing her covers off of her body and sliding out of bed. Making sure she had her bracelet off, Hope cautiously made her way out of her room and followed an invisible tug towards the courtyard. The closer she got, the stronger the tug became. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Hope glanced down into the open area below and her breath caught in her throat. There stood her father, talking to her aunt, but at her arrival, Hope could see Klaus’ shoulders tense before he sped away. Every cell in Hope’s body screamed at her to follow him. To hell with it being the middle of the night. Her father was back in New Orleans. Klaus was home.

“Aunt Freya.” Hope called softly and the older witch’s eyes drifted up to the young Tribrid.

“Hope...” Freya started.

“How long has he been back?” Hope asked.

“He just got in.” Freya replied with a sigh.

“He couldn’t even stick around to say hi. Typical.” Hope mumbled. “I’m going back to bed. Oh, and Ryan is on his way down to New Orleans. I told him what happened yesterday, and he wants to be here for me. I’d like him to stay here with us, in the room next to mine.”

“Is that wise?” Freya asked.

“He’s my friend, Aunt Freya. He makes me feel safe. He keeps me calm. If I’m confined to the house because mom grounded me, I’d rather be confined with a friend that can help distract me from what’s going on, rather than go even more stir crazy than I’ve already been going.” Hope explained. “Has anyone told Declan that mom’s missing?”

“Not yet. We don’t want to worry him, Hope. If we’re able to find her soon, we don’t want to have worried him for nothing. And it would be best if this is handled in house, so to speak.”

“You mean that because he’s human, he doesn’t have a right to know that his girlfriend is missing?”

“If we tell him that Hayley is missing, he’ll want to get the human police involved, and that could just make things messy.”

“That’s really screwed up, Aunt Freya. He has been nothing but good to mom for as long as I can remember. He deserves to know that she’s missing, even if it’s been less than 24 hours.”

Before Freya could say anything else, Hope made her way back to her room, slipped her bracelet back on, grabbed her phone to pull up the picture of her and Ryan and sat down at her easel. Zooming in on the picture, Hope focused on where Ryan was holding her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The picture as a whole really was her favorite, as she and Ryan had their foreheads touching and they were both smiling at each other. Her right hand was resting on his chest, over his heart, while he was holding her left hand and kissing her knuckles. Ryan’s other hand was resting on her lower back as his arm wrapped around her waist to hold her close. The sun had been setting, and they had gotten the angle just right so that they were predominately silhouetted. It was the perfect picture for Ryan to have kept of them. It was simple, yet romantic, and without knowing who was in the picture, or without looking close enough, no one would be able to tell that it was the two of them.

For the next several hours, Hope worked on sketching the part of the picture that she was focusing on for the painting. She had just finished getting the lines of their bodies _just_ right when she received a text message. Being content with the progress, Hope covered her easel and moved towards her bed to climb back under the covers. The time on her phone read 6:30am and her eyes widened. When had she woken up last night? She had thought that she had only been sketching for a couple of hours, but if the stiffness of her joints was anything to go by, she had been sitting there for more than just 2 hours. Not that it really mattered; she’d gotten the most important part of the painting done, and her body was telling her that she needed to go back to sleep, even if she would normally be waking up soon. She could at least get a couple more hours of sleep before Ryan arrived.

**Good morning, Princess. You’re probably, and hopefully, still asleep, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m just grabbing a quick bite to eat for breakfast and then I’ll be back on the road. So with the time change, I should be in New Orleans between 11 and 12.**

Hope smiled as she placed her phone back on her nightstand and snuggled back under the covers and closed her eyes. Right as she was about to drift back off to sleep, there was a loud commotion outside her bedroom door immediately followed by her door being thrown open. Sitting up quickly, Hope looked to see who was bursting her room, only for her eyes to narrow.

“What the hell, Dad? Are you drunk?” Hope asked.

“You listen to me young lady, you do NOT get to just up and stop loving me. I am your father, and you are to love me unconditionally.” Klaus growled, gripping the door frame to the point of his knuckles turning white.

“Why should I continue to love a man that has done nothing but be absent for most of my life? Why should I continue to associate myself as your daughter when you clearly want nothing to do with me? Why should I have ever loved you in the first place? Aunt Rebekah raised me for the first 8 months of my life, away from you _and_ mom. Numerous times after that, you either orchestrated mom’s absence from my life; pissed mom off enough for her to take me away from you, or you were gone. And then when you, and Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Kol and Elijah all took parts of the Hollow, you were fine with communicating until I was 9. But really Dad, there’s no way to fucking knock before Astral Projecting and I missed you. And what did you do? You yelled at me and then shut me out ever since. Sure, you talk to mom, to Aunt Freya, Aunt Rebekah, maybe Uncle Kol... hell, you’ve even sought out Elijah a time or two. You talk to everyone else in the family BUT me. You want me to continue loving you? It’s a two way-bloody street.” Hope retorted while folding her arms across her chest.

“You are MY daughter. MY heir. I will not stand for this insolence about being done with loving me.”

“That might work for other fathers and their daughters, but it doesn’t work like that for us. You have done nothing worth loving you for. You might make up half of my DNA, but that’s as far as it goes. You are nothing more than a sperm donor from a night mom got drunk and decided to fuck you.”

Klaus’ eyes flashed blue before lunging towards Hope. While it was unexpected, Hope managed to throw her hands up just in time to push her father back before he could grab her but with her bracelet on, she couldn’t do any magic. She was reaching to take it off when Klaus grabbed her by the wrist, only to drop his hold immediately after his skin came in contact with the metal. Glancing between his palm and Hope’s wrist, both of which were sporting burns, Klaus let out a growl before storming off. Once she heard the front door slam shut, Hope sank to her knees and took some deep breaths to calm herself down. Hot tears were filling her eyes and her vision was blurring, but Hope recognized the outline of her aunt rushing into the room and helping her to the bed before sitting down on the edge.

“Hope, what happened?” Freya asked slowly.

“The Hollow... she’s angry. She doesn’t like being separated. She wants to be whole... and she wants me. Dad’s lost all rational thought because of her control and because I told him I’m done loving him.” Hope explained slowly. “He lunged across the room at me and grabbed my wrist, but the bracelet burned his palm. I don’t think the Hollow, or her host body, can come in contact with my bracelet.”

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. What can I do?” Freya asked.

“I just want to get some sleep before Ryan gets here.” Hope replied as she dug the heels of her palms into her eyes.

“When should he be coming in?” Freya questioned.

“Between 11 and 12.”

“Okay, send him a text with the address for Rousseau’s and tell him I’ll meet him there.”

Hope nodded as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and sent the text off to Ryan with the information. She knew that Freya was trying to help, but the only one that could really calm her down these days was Ryan. Maybe it was the fact that something was telling Hope that her aunt was hiding things from her, or maybe it was just that being separated from her family during school, she was around Ryan more these days and had just gotten used to Ryan’s presence instead, but whatever it was, Hope was not finding comfort in Freya’s words or embrace. After the text was sent, Hope turned to her aunt.

“Done. Now sleep.” Hope said, making a shooing motion with her hands for Freya to leave.

“Can I get you anything?” Freya asked.

“No... but can you put a barrier around the room? I don’t know where Dad went, but I don’t want him to be able to get in while I’m sleeping.” Hope replied.

“Of course. Get some sleep, honey.”

Hope nodded again before sliding under the covers and pulling them in around her. After having stayed up half of the night sketching, she was exhausted. And she was out before Freya had even left the room.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

When Hope opened her eyes some time later, she couldn’t immediately pinpoint how long she’d been asleep. It was definitely a decent amount of time later, but it wasn’t until she realized that Ryan was sitting on the edge of her bed, peering down at her that Hope realized that she had been asleep for a good 5 ½-6 hours.

“Ryan... you’re here.” Hope breathed out a sigh of relief as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m here, Princess.” Ryan replied with a small smile as he wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist and pulled her into his lap.

“How long have you been here? And how long were you watching me sleep?” Hope asked while pressing kisses to his neck.

“I haven’t been here for very long, and I was only watching you for about 5-10 minutes. I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up because this was the first time I’ve actually gotten to watch you sleep.”

“You could have laid down next to me. You have been driving since yesterday.”

“As much as I wanted to, your aunt mentioned your father was back in town to head up the search for you mom, and I didn’t want to run the risk of him walking in on us “in bed” together.”

“Then I should probably get dressed.”

“Oh, you don’t have to. I quite like your current outfit.”

“So you’re worried about my father catching us “in bed” together, with me wearing this, but not of him seeing us walking around the house together in this?”

“Should I be?”

“Honey, my father is a very terrifyingly protective man. If a guy so much as breathed the wrong way, my father wouldn’t hesitate to maim him. And I happen to enjoy your body just the way it is.”

“I see... speaking of enjoying each other’s bodies... did you mean to have the angle of the video you sent me last night showing off your chest?”

“What do you mean?”

Ryan shifted Hope in his lap to be able to pull out his phone and show her the video. When she realized the angle that Ryan was referring to, her cheeks turned red and she buried her face in his neck in embarrassment as he lightly chuckled. Moving his hands from her back, where he had been rubbing gently, to her sides, Ryan lightly brushed his fingertips along the sides of Hopes breasts, causing her to gasp and pull back to look at him.

“May I?” Ryan asked softly, nodding towards where his hands were on her sides.

“Yes.” Hope replied before sighing when Ryan cupped her breasts and leaned in to press a light kiss to her neck.

“God, I’ve missed you, Princess.” Ryan breathed out.

“I’ve missed you too, honey. So much. Thank you for coming.”

Ryan pulled back quickly and locked eyes with his girlfriend, who’s own eyes were wide as her cheeks flushed red again.

“I meant thank you for driving down to New Orleans... to be with me.” Hope correctly quickly.

“You’re welcome.” Ryan replied slowly, holding Hope’s gaze as he carefully got the feel of her breasts in his hands. “You are absolutely beautiful, Princess.”

“You’re just saying that because I’m basically wearing lingerie and I’m straddling your lap.” Hope said as she ducked her head.

“I’m saying it because it’s the truth. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You basically wearing lingerie and straddling my lap are just bonuses. You are truly beautiful inside and out, Hope, and I, by far, the luckiest guy in the world to be able to call you my girlfriend.” Ryan corrected.

“Your girlfriend whom you haven’t properly kissed yet.” Hope pointed out.

“That is easily fixed, Princess.”

Shifting his hold, Ryan moved one hand to the back of Hope’s head and lightly pulled her closer, letting her close the last few inches of distance between them so that their lips met. The second that their lips made contact, the kiss was deepened and Ryan was shifting them again to lay Hope back on the bed and hover over her. Being alone in a bedroom with each other, despite the bedroom door still being opened, it was easy to get caught up in the moment and forgot that Hope was still underage. But when Hope ran her hands down Ryan’s back and tugged at the hem of his shirt, the moment was broken and Ryan pulled away from the kiss.

“Damn it.” He muttered. “I’m so sorry, Princess.”

“I wanted it too, honey. Please don’t apologize.” Hope replied. “I should probably get dressed now, though.” She added as she rested her hands on Ryan’s chest.

“Probably.” Ryan agreed with a nod.

“Honey...”

“Yes, Princess?”

“You need to get off of me and wait outside my door so that I can get dressed.”

“I know... but I really don’t want to.”

“Please, Ryan? You just got here... don’t let someone in my family catch us like this and you get taken away from me. I can’t lose you.”

“I’ll make you a deal, Princess... I’ll leave the room so that you can get dressed, but once you’re done, I want to spend the rest of the day holding you in my arms.”

“I can live with that.”

“Good... because 2 weeks truly has been too long to go with not holding you.”

“I know. Being in your arms has been the only thing that calms me down, and I’ve been nearly going out of my mind without that comfort since being home.”

With a nod of agreement, Ryan bent down and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead before moving off of the bed, pulling her into a sitting position as he went, and heading towards the bedroom door. Once the door closed behind him, Hope moved off of her bed and straight to her dresser. Grabbing a pair of jean shorts and a loose fitting tank top, as well as one of the new sets of matching bra and panties, Hope slipped them on and headed for the door. When she opened it, however, it was to find Ryan holding a large bouquet of blue and yellow irises and white roses, a soft smile on his face.

“These are for you, Princess.”

“Where did these come from?” Hope asked.

“Before pointing out where your room was, Freya brought me to the room that I’ll be staying in. I got this for you before your aunt and I came here from Rousseau’s. She helped me pick the right ones. But since you were still sleeping when I got here, I figured it would be best if I leave them in... okay, ‘my room’ doesn’t seem appropriate, but for the context of this conversation... I left them in my room with the rest of my stuff before going to see you.” Ryan explained.

“They’re beautiful, Ryan. Thank you.” Hope said as she lifted the bouquet to her nose and took a long sniff.

“It’s a small thing, but I couldn’t show up at my girlfriend’s house empty handed.” Ryan added as his hands fell to Hope’s waist and he backed her up towards the bed.

“We should probably limit the use of the ‘g’ word and the ‘b’ word. It might be a big house, but people tend to come and go, and we don’t want the wrong person overhearing and telling my father.” Hope said with a frown.

“Easy enough fix, I couldn’t show up at my friend’s house, who is a girl, empty handed.” Ryan rectified with a smirk.

“You really are a dork, Ryan. But that’s just one of the many things that I like about you.”

“Hmmm... and what are some of the other things that you like about me?”

“You make me smile when I’m upset; you make me feel safe; you are always going above and beyond to ensure that I’m happy, even if the reason behind you doing something leads to a certain kind of frustration; you’re protective and kind. You are, all around, an amazing person. When you make a promise, you do everything in your power to keep it. You are honorable, respectable, kind. An amazing cook.”

“That’s quite a lot... is there anything that you _don’t_ like about me?”

“Hmm... maybe the fact that you’re trying to get me back in bed instead of letting me go get a vase for the beautiful flowers you got me?”

“Is that so? Well, I do believe we had a deal, Princess. I left the room so that you could get dressed, then I get to hold you in my arms for the rest of the day. I plan to collect on my reward for completing my half of the deal.”

“You did not specify that we would have to be on the bed while you held me in your arms, _and_ that was before I knew you got me flowers. Flowers that very much have to be put in a vase with some water so that they don’t die.”

Ryan just smirked as he took the bouquet from Hope’s hand and laid it on the nightstand before moving Hope to the middle of the bed and settling against the pillows himself. Once he was comfortable, Ryan pulled Hope to him and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her on top of him.

“I very much want to stay like this for the rest of the day. Holding you in my arms, sitting on your bed, not doing anything, except maybe stealing kisses now and then. Does that work for you?” Ryan asked.

“The flowers still need to be put in some water, Ry.” Hope pointed out.

“As you mentioned earlier, I just got here, and you already want to leave my embrace? I’m wounded, Princess.”

“I never said that honey. You could come with me to put the flowers in a vase.”

“Hmm... I supposed I can manage that. But first...”

Ryan cradled Hope’s jaw in his hand as he leaned up to capture her lips in sweet kiss. It didn’t have the chance to get very far, because voices could be heard coming from the hallway and they were getting closer to Hope’s room. With a light gasp, Hope slid off of being on top of Ryan and simply curled into his side just moments before Freya knocked on the door and poked her head into the room.

“Hope, we’re going to head out, see if we can find any leads. Do you want to come?”

“No... I’m still kind of warn out from yesterday. And Ryan’s been driving since yesterday, so I think we’ll just stay here.” Hope replied.

“Okay. If you need anything, just call me or Vincent. We’ll be back in a few hours.” Freya said.

“Thanks Aunt Freya.”

Once she heard Freya and Vincent walking downstairs, Hope moved back on top of Ryan and sat on his lap. Running her hands over his chest, she slid one up and around the back of his neck to pull him in for another kiss. Ryan’s hands wrapped around Hope’s body, one around her waist and one up her back to hold the back of her head and held her close as the kiss deepened. When Hope ran her tongue across Ryan’s lips and his hips bucked up against her, she moaned into the kiss, causing Ryan to repeat the motion as he moved his lips to kiss along her jaw and down to her neck, which in turn caused Hope to continue moaning.

“Ry... Ryan... we need to... honey, we need to stop.” Hope whimpered and Ryan pulled back.

“Fuck.” Ryan muttered under his breath as he rested his forehead on Hope’s shoulder. “This is going to be just as torturous as being apart.”

“We have to at least _attempt_ to be good this summer.” Hope muttered.

“Attempting isn’t going to be enough, Hope. Because as much as we attempt, there’s still going to be the _temptation_ to break the rules. And I am desperately wanting to break the rules right now.”

“What do we do then? Not touch each other, despite that being the main reason you sorted things out in Mystic Falls to come down here? I can’t do that, Ryan. If I can’t touch you, kiss you, be held by you, then what was the point of you even making the trip down here?”

“We managed it for a month and a half in Mystic Falls, and we were fine, we can manage here in New Orleans.”

“There’s just a major difference between there and here.”

“And what’s that?”

“Up there we knew that no one would happen upon us; here, there’s any number of people who could happen upon us, and that makes the temptation to be together even stronger. I just can’t go without being able to touch you, Ryan. The best way I’ve been able to find comfort is through your physical touch. Your words help somewhat, but being in your arms, feeling your body heat... I need that even more than your words.”

“If that’s what you need, Princess, then that’s what I’ll give you. We just have to be more mindful of the positions that we put ourselves in.”

With a nod, Hope slid back to curling up against Ryan’s side. It was definitely going to be a long summer, even with him being in New Orleans.


	8. Not Everything is Sunshine and Daisies

At some point in the afternoon, Hope ended up falling asleep using Ryan as a pillow. While Ryan was glad that his presence was allowing her to get some sleep instead of focusing on her mother’s disappearance, he was still immensely worried about her. He wanted to help look for Hayley, but this was his first time in New Orleans and he didn’t have the faintest idea of how he would help look. Not to mention that him going out to look would take him away from Hope, and that as a whole would defeat the purpose of his being there. They had missed each other, and he had already been on his way down when Hope had informed him of Hayley being missing. Freya had gotten home a couple hours after Hope had fallen asleep and she had stuck her head into the room to let them know she was back, but when Hope started whimpering in her sleep and clutching at his shirt, Ryan started to get scared. He had no way of keeping her safe from what was going on in her own mind while she slept. Shifting their position so that Hope was laying on her back and he was on his side, half hovering over her, Ryan tried to wake Hope up.

“Hope, Princess, I need you to wake up. Please, Hope, please wake up.” Ryan begged, but it only seemed to be making things worse. “Freya! I need help!” He called out as he lightly held Hope’s face in his hands, his eyes frantically searching for any sign that his girlfriend was waking up.

“What happened?” Freya asked as she rushed into the room, a man that Ryan could only assume was Vincent, right behind her.

“I don’t know. She was asleep and then all of a sudden she started whimpering. I tried to get her to wake up, but it only seemed to make it worse.” Ryan explained as he moved to the far side of the bed to give Freya space.

“You might want to wait in the hall, son.” Vincent commented.

“I’m not leaving Hope. I promised her I wouldn’t leave her.” Ryan insisted.

“Ryan, listen to me... Vincent is right, you should wait in the hall. When she wakes up, I’ll let you know.” Freya replied.

“But I...” Ryan tried.

“It’ll be okay, Ryan. I won’t let anything happen to my niece. I know that you care about her, but please wait in the hall.” Freya stressed. “Vincent will wait with you.”

Ryan nodded slowly before leaning down to press a kiss to Hope’s forehead and then following Vincent out into the hall. Not even 6 hours after arriving in New Orleans and he was already failing at protecting his girlfriend.

“You okay, Kid?” Vincent asked as Ryan ran his hands over his face and slid down the wall.

“Not ever remotely. There’s something upsetting Hope in her sleep, and me trying to wake her up only made things worse. I feel like I’ve already failed her.” Ryan replied.

“Failing that girl would only happen if you left her for good. If you made her a bunch of promises and then broke every single one of them. Hope is resilient. She’s a fighter. She always has been. Even before she was born. From what I have observed just now, you have not failed her. She holds your heart, and you know it. And while she might be too young to admit it even to herself, from what I’ve heard from Freya, you hold Hope’s heart. So be a better man than the others that she’s connected to. Don’t let her heart shatter.” Vincent explained.

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t see what she’s dreaming or experiencing in her dreams. How can I help the woman that means the world to me when I have no idea what she’s going through?” Ryan asked.

“Look, I like you, Kid. And despite the animosity that is between me and most of this family, I like Hope. So I’m going to do what I can to help you both. I’mma look into some old time herbal remedies, see if there’s something in there that can help you and Hope share dreams. But if I find something, you gotta promise to use it sparingly. And that you never abuse it’s use. Think you can do that?”

“If it would allow me to help Hope, then I’ll do anything.”

“That’s all I ask, so if I can hold you to it, I’ll help you as best as I can.”

“Thank you, Vincent.”

Vincent simply nodded before leaning back against the railing, waiting for Freya to come out of the bedroom. It wasn’t a long wait, but when Freya came to lean against the door frame, she let out a sigh and Ryan was quickly standing back up to return to his girlfriend’s side.

“Hope?”

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“That’s not as important as you being okay. You are okay, right?”

“Physically, yes. Emotionally and mentally, not entirely.”

“What happened?”

“Just a really bad nightmare.”

“Hope... I know it has to be more than that. I can’t comfort you properly if you don’t talk to me.”

“It had started out as a dream. A really good dream... but then my father found us and took you away from me. And he... he was torturing you, Ryan. From what Aunt Freya said, when you were trying to wake me up, it was when he was about to kill you.”

“Hey, I’m right here, Princess and I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about any of that.”

Leaning over Hope, Ryan lightly brushed her hair out of her face before pressing a kiss to her lips. As Hope wrapped her arms around Ryan’s neck to pull him in closer, his hand slipped down from her cheek to her breast, give it a light squeeze before moving down to grip her waist. When breathing became a necessity, Ryan moved to trail kisses along Hope’s jaw and down her neck before sucking on her pulse point.

“Ryan...” Hope breathed out as she pulled Ryan’s hand back up to her chest from her waist.

“Tell me to stop, Hope, please.” Ryan muttered through a groan, his thumb rubbing Hope’s nipple through her shirt and bra.

“I don’t want you to stop, though.” Hope replied before nibbling on Ryan’s ear lobe and trailing a hand down his chest.

“Hope, I’m begging you... tell me to stop. I **_need_** you to tell me ‘no’.” Ryan said, desperation leaking into his voice even as his free hand helped guide Hope’s hand towards the waistband of his jeans.

“Ryan... stop.”

It was barely above a whisper, but Ryan heard it loud and clear and moved off of his girlfriend. The second she could move without bumping into him, Hope turned onto her side and curled up in a ball, trying to blink back tears. Ryan ran a hand over his face before gently placing a hand on Hope’s shoulder, trying to get her to look at him, only for her to shrug it off.

“Hope, please don’t be upset.”

“What would have been so wrong with going just a little bit further?” Hope asked.

“That’s just it, Hope... if we had gone any further, I doubt I would have been able to stop, even if you asked me to. Losing you would hurt me just as much as it would hurt you, and I don’t want either of us to ever go through that kind of hurt. You are my world, Hope Mikaelson.”

Hope rolled onto her back and pushed at Ryan’s shoulder. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and anger. It was a look that Ryan had never seen before but knew that Hope was definitely beyond upset. Whether at him, herself, or the situation, Ryan wasn’t sure, but he figured he was about to find out.

“How dare you?” Hope said lowly.

“Hope...” Ryan replied with a sigh.

“You just told me that if we had gone further, and I told you ‘no’, you wouldn’t have listened. I thought you were above that sort of thing, Ryan. I thought you were a better man than your brother. I thought the Fells had taught you to respect women.” Hope said.

“I _am_ , Hope. But god, I’m still a guy, Princess. A 20 year old guy who’s making out with an attractive girl. I do everything I can to keep my natural reactions to what you do to me from getting out of control, but there’s only so much I can do. I’m human, Hope. We both are. You cannot honestly tell me that you expect me to not give in to my basic urges 24/7. That’s not realistic. I want to be the perfect guy for you. The one that always behaves when he’s supposed to, and never lets things get out of control, but I can’t do that. No one is perfect.” Ryan replied as he sat up and rested his forearms on his knees.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have come down here.” Hope commented as she moved off the bed.

“Are you serious right now? You really think that I would let the girl that I would give my life for be alone when her mother’s missing? That when she clearly needs me, that I would just let her suffer? I’m not your father, Hope. I told you that I have no intention of leaving you and when you told me last night that your mom was missing, I was even more determined to make it down here than I was when I left Mystic Falls yesterday.” Ryan said as he followed Hope.

“I’m broken and damaged, Ryan. I clearly have Daddy Issues, and my home life is definitely no picnic. So why do you even want to be around me?” Hope asked.

“Because those reasons are all part of what makes you the young woman that you are. Those aspects of your life were in play when we met, and I was still drawn to you. Knowing more about them now 2 months later changes nothing except make me realize even more how much you need a constant in your life, Hope. I can’t change what’s going on with your family, I just want to be the person that helps you through everything. Why are you so intent on pushing me away now?”

“No one stays in my life, Ryan. You’ll probably leave eventually. Why kid ourselves into believing this will last?”

“I’m. Not. Your. Father. Hope. I’m not going to leave you.”

“That’s what he said too.”

“What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m not going anywhere?”

Hope stopped and slowly turned back to face Ryan. She hadn’t intended on fighting with him. She hadn’t even fully realized that she had walked out of her room. She wasn’t even behaving or thinking logically. This wasn’t her. She didn’t want to push Ryan away. She wanted to pull him close and never let go. But there was one person that wanted her to be truly alone. The one entity that was the reason behind her father having been gone from her life for the last 8 years. The Hollow. With the Hollow back in New Orleans, or at least a piece of her, clearly the strongest piece, since it resided in the direct blood connection that Hope had, it was affecting her judgement. The Hollow was trying to form a chasm between Hope and Ryan, and Hope wouldn’t let it. Looking down at the ground, Hope let the tears fall.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Hope? Sorry for getting pissed at me for doing the right thing? Sorry for trying to push me away when I’m trying to be here as a support system for you? Sorry for expecting me to be like your father and just up and leave? What are you apologizing for?”

“For all of it. This isn’t me, and I hate it.”

“That makes two of us, Hope. I hate the fact that I can’t do everything that I want to do with you. I hate that when you retreat into the darkest parts of your mind that you think I’ll leave you like your father did. Despite all of the pain that his leaving has caused you, I do still believe that your father loves you, Hope, but I’m not him. I would rather give up everything else in my life then be separated from you again. I told you already, Hope, you’re stuck with me. And aside from you, my word is the most important thing to me... and I gave both your mom and your aunt my word that nothing would happen until you’re 18.”

“I want to tune out the rest of the world, forget about promises and legalities, and just be us... you and me, being together in every and all ways that we want to be.”

Ryan let out a frustrated sigh before closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Hope as she cried into his chest. He wanted that too. But it wasn’t realistic. It wasn’t even practical. Not even when she turned 18 would it truly be able to be like that. Resting his chin on the top of Hope’s head, Ryan let out another sigh before pressing a kiss to her hair and rubbing her back.

“We’ll get through this, Princess. I guarantee it.”

“Distract me, please.”

“What do you say to giving your boyfriend a tour of your family home?”

“I told you not to use the ‘b’ word.”

Ryan pulled back and gave Hope a smile.

“I know, but I can’t not call myself your boyfriend. It’s what I’ve been for the last 2 months. But I promise to keep it to a minimum.” Ryan said before leaning down and capturing Hope’s lips in a light kiss.

“I guess that is okay. Just... when we’re alone, okay?” Hope requested.

“Whatever my girlfriend wants.” Ryan replied with a smirk. “Now... about that tour?”

“Tomorrow. For now we need to get something to eat for dinner.”

“I’d much rather spend the evening alone together.”

“I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning... before my fight with my mom. I need something to eat. And then, after dinner, we can go for a swim. It will give you a chance to see me in a bikini in person.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.”

Hope bit her bottom lip and dropped her gaze. If he saw her in a bikini, and he wasn’t able to keep his hands to himself, then they would be right back where they were. Frustrated at wanting to continue but knowing that they needed to stop. The rest of this summer was going to be a lot harder to get through then either of them thought. But she desperately wanted to make things work with Ryan, and he clearly did too, or else he wouldn’t have come down, right?

“Then maybe no swimming. Dinner and then relaxing for the rest of the evening.” Hope said slowly.

“Dinner and a movie, maybe?” Ryan suggested.

“You mean like a date? An actual date?” Hope asked.

“We’ve never been able to go on one yet, and I think it’s high time that we have one. Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t take the girl I’m crazy about on at least one date?” Ryan questioned.

“A guy who probably doesn’t understand the meaning of being a boyfriend.” Hope whispered.

“I’m hurt that you would even say that Princess.” Ryan said with a smirk before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Are we okay, Ryan?” Hope asked in a small voice.

“We will be. You’re under a lot of stress right now, and I know you probably didn’t mean the things you said, or at least didn’t want to mean the things you said. But there has to be a part of you, deep down, that at least partially meant it, and those feelings are things that we have to work through, together.” Ryan replied. “But for right now, we’re okay.”

“I really am sorry, Ryan. I thought... I thought I was over feeling what my father did, but I guess I’m not. I do know that you aren’t him. And I don’t ever want you to be like him.” Hope said as her eyes filled with tears again.

“We’ll talk through everything after we get something to eat.”

Hope nodded once before moving to wrap her arms around Ryan’s neck and pushing herself up onto her toes to press her lips to his and then walking backwards until her back collided with the wall. Even when Ryan bent his head to meet her lips more firmly, Hope could feel the tension in his neck from having to compensate for their foot of height difference. Chancing it, Hope lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around Ryan’s waist, hoping he would get the hint. When he lifted her other leg, effectively lifting her into his arms and leveling out their heights, Hope smiled into the kiss and ran her tongue along Ryan’s lips.

“God I’ve missed you, Princess.” Ryan muttered against Hope’s lips before continuing the kiss.

“Mhm.” Hope agreed.

The kiss didn’t last long, as the need for air soon caused them to have to separate, but Hope didn’t mind. It was like the make out sessions that they usually had back in Mystic Falls. It was the only thing that had happened since the day before that Hope believing that everything was going to be okay. That her life could still have some semblance of normalcy. After heading downstairs and grabbing something to eat for dinner, Hope led Ryan back up to her room and they spent the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying each other’s presence. Despite Ryan’s earlier statement, however, neither of them brought up the topic of the underlying reason behind Hope’s hurtful words from their fight.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Hope wandered through the house. It was nice having Ryan there, especially in the room next door because it made her feel safe. And if she woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, she could easily get to him, or him to her, to quiet her mind. At least she hoped that would be the case. Her first nightmare had been about him being tortured and killed by her father after Klaus had caught them having sex. But the sex part had made Hope wonder what sex with Ryan would be like. If he would be willing to take his time and let her get used to everything before moving on. She hoped he would. She felt like it would go against the kind of man he strived to be if he didn’t allow her to adjust.

Without having a set destination in the house in mind, Hope just continued wandering until she found herself close to the pool and heard the water lapping at the sides as someone swam back and forth. Setting her sights on figuring out who was utilizing the pool, Hope poked her head into the room and a smile spread across her face as she recognized Ryan. From where she stood by the doorway, she could just make out the muscles in his back moving with each stroke that he took while swimming towards the far end of the pool. Getting lost in just watching him, Hope didn’t realize Ryan had gotten out of the water and was walking towards her until he was directly in front of her and leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss.

“You shouldn’t spy on people, Princess, it isn’t nice.” Ryan muttered into the kiss.

“I wasn’t spying. I was curious as to who was swimming, and then I was admiring my boyfriend’s body as he did so. You can’t hold that against me. You have an amazing body that’s perfectly sculpted.” Hope replied with a sigh as her hands ran up and down Ryan’s chest.

“Your turn, Princess.”

“Huh?”

“It’s only fair. You get to see me in my swimsuit, now I get to see you in yours.”

“Oh, right... that. I, um...”

Hope glanced down at her clothes, noting that she was wearing her jean shorts and coverup over her bikini already. When had put those on? Not that it really mattered. Her outfit made it easier to join Ryan in the pool sooner, rather than needing to go back upstairs and change. Pulling her coverup over her head, Hope tossed it onto one of the chairs and met Ryan’s eyes. His usual chocolate brown eyes had darkened as he took in Hope’s partially exposed body. This was a first for them, but Hope didn’t feel nervous about Ryan seeing her like this. Which was odd in and of itself because she should be. He had said that he didn’t think he would be able to keep his hands to himself if he saw her in a bikini. But when all he did was cup her jaw with both of his hands and pull her in for a deep kiss, Hope let out a sigh while shimmying out of her shorts. Once she had tossed her shorts onto the chair with her coverup, Hope wrapped her arms around Ryan’s neck and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist.

“Hello to you too, Princess.” Ryan said with a smirk as he easily caught her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Hi.” Hope breathed out with a light giggle.

“You’re in a good mood. At least a better one than earlier.” Ryan commented as he carried her into the water.

“How can I not be? My amazing boyfriend drove down to New Orleans just so we wouldn’t be separated for the rest of the summer, and we’re about to make out in a pool.” Hope replied in between placing kisses along Ryan’s jaw.

“You want to know what would make this even better?” Ryan asked as he trailed a fingertip along the top cusp of Hope’s bikini top.

“W-what?” Hope asked while pushing her chest into Ryan’s palm.

“A little game to lose our clothes.” Ryan whispered into Hope’s ear.

“We don’t need a game to do that, honey.”

“A race then? First one to the other end of the pool and back gets to remove the other’s swimsuit.”

“What will you do when you lose?”

“You’re a confidant little one, aren’t you?”

“I’m not little.”

Ryan smirked before pressing his lips to Hope’s throat as he dipped her head back into the water.

“You’re little to me, Princess. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is how we met, after all.”

“You’re being mean.”

“No, I’m not. I’m stating facts. You are a foot shorter than me, Hope. That’s little. But again, if it hadn’t been for our height difference, I wouldn’t have had an excuse to grab that book for you from the top shelf.”

“Fine. But that also just means that I’m closer to _this_ ,” Hope said while reaching between their bodies and rubbing Ryan’s hardening dick with her hand, “than to _these_.” She added before pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Unfair. But I concede. I won’t call you little again.” Ryan mumbled against her lips. “Unless this is the reaction I’m going to get each time, then I’ll happily call you little.”

“You didn’t answer my question, honey. When I win, and get to take your swimsuit off, what will you do?”

“I’ll figure something out, Princess.”

Hope hummed at him with a smile on her face as she swam away from Ryan and towards the wall by the steps. By the time she turned around to get ready for the race, Ryan was back in front of her and caging her between the wall and his body. Ducking his head, Ryan pressed his lips to Hope’s neck and started a trail up to her ear before tracing the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue.

“Have I told you yet how beautiful you look in your bikini?”

“No, but you can tell me that when I win the race.” Hope replied between nibbling on his ear lobe.

“There’s one way that I can think of where you would be even more beautiful than you already are.” Ryan continued as his hands rubbed Hope’s back.

“Oh really? And what way would that be?” Hope asked.

“Without it.” Ryan replied with a smirk as he pushed back from Hope and the wall, holding her bikini top up in his hand.

“RYAN CLARKE THAT’S CHEATING!” Hope shrieked as she splashed him.

“Ah, ah, ah. I’m evening the playing field.” Ryan replied as he swam backwards. “This way whomever wins only has one piece of clothing to remove from the other.”

“Give me back my top, Ryan.” Hope demanded as she swam towards him.

“No.” Ryan replied as he smiled at her.

“Please give it back?” Hope asked with a pout.

“Switching tactics won’t work, Princess.”

“Are you sure?”

Hope swam closer to Ryan, continuing to pout at him until she was able to wrap herself around his body and pressed her lips to his. She could feel his arousal pressing firmly against her center, and it had Hope moaning into the kiss as she rubbed herself against him, only succeeding in making Ryan’s dick harder. When Ryan pulled Hope closer against his chest, Hope smirked to herself and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of Ryan’s swim trunks to push them down. Realizing what his girlfriend was doing, Ryan lightly nipped at Hope’s bottom lip before pulling at the strings on her bikini bottom. Once they were both naked, Ryan moved them towards the side wall of the pool to help support Hope before grabbing his dick and rubbing the tip against her center.

“HOPE! RYAN! BREAKFAST IS READY!”

Hope sat up in bed with a start as her aunt’s voice rang through the empty Compound. Rubbing her thighs together, Hope tried to alleviate the ache between her legs from just how close she and Ryan had been to having sex in her dream. But as she moved out of bed to get dressed, something seemed different about her dream. Too real. Too... too much like it wasn’t just her dream. Grabbing a short jean skirt and a thin t-shirt, both of which show off her curves, which Hope was sure Ryan would appreciate, she quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to talk to her aunt before Ryan got down there.

“Morning Aunt Freya.” Hope said as she gave her aunt a kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning, sweetie. Feeling better?” Freya asked.

“A bit, yeah. Despite the nightmare I had yesterday afternoon, having Ryan around has already started to help.” Hope replied with a nod.

“Good. I’m happy that you have such a good friend in Ryan.” Freya said with a smile.

Hope nodded slowly and thought she caught a knowing glint in her aunt’s eyes but didn’t comment on it because it was gone before Hope could determine if it had even been there in the first place. When Hope heard Ryan making his way towards the stairs, she turned to look at her aunt.

“Hey Aunt Freya, do you know anything about sharing literal dreams with someone?” Hope asked carefully, as she didn’t want to give anything away.

“I've read that soulmates could have them... if they've been joined together. Why do you ask?” Freya replied, not looking up at her aunt.

“Just something that I've been wondering about.” Hope said with a shrug.

“Vincent might know more about that. You should ask him.” Freya suggested.

“Will do, thanks.” Hope agreed with a smile as Ryan walked into the dining room. “Morning.”

“Morning, Princess.” Ryan replied, placing a brief kiss on the top of Hope’s head, but not making any other motion to touch her. “Breakfast smells amazing, thank you, Freya.”

“Of course. You’re our guest, Ryan, we aren’t going to force you to eat out all the time. And you were kind enough to make dinner for us on Hope’s birthday, the least we can do is feed you as well.” Freya replied.

“I really do appreciate that, Freya. And I want to be here for Hope, for as long as I’m welcome.” Ryan said as he took the seat next to Hope.

“You’re being here is good for Hope, so you can stay for the rest of the summer.” Freya said.

“Aunt Freya, have you seen or heard from Dad since yesterday morning?” Hope asked as she moved to take Ryan’s hand under the table.

“He’s been out tracking down leads on your mother’s whereabouts since yesterday. I’m planning on going out myself, today, to try and help. Do you think you and Ryan will be okay here on your own?” Freya questioned.

“We’ll be okay. I’m going to take him on a tour of the house today. It’ll keep us occupied.” Hope replied.

Freya nodded before turning back to her food. With a curious look, Hope turned to Ryan only to find him staring down at his plate. With a frown, Hope tugged lightly at Ryan’s hand until he let out a sigh and looked up at her. The second he did, though, his eyes roamed over her outfit and quickly darkened. Biting her lower lip, Hope got up from her chair and moved to sit on Ryan’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“What are you doing, Princess?” Ryan whispered into Hope’s ear.

“I’m going to feed you breakfast.” Hope replied before leaning over and pulling her plate over. “And you’re going to feed me.” She added as she grabbed some waffles and fruit and piled them onto her place before smothering the waffles in syrup.

“I can feed myself, Hope. And so can you.” Ryan replied as his hand rested on Hope’s thigh and barely inched it’s way under her skirt.

“I know. But this could be fun.” Hope said, her eyes wide and pleading.

“You are being a minx, Hope Mikaelson.” Ryan whispered before shifting Hope so that she was facing away from Freya and pressed his lips to her neck.

“Are you complaining, honey?” Hope whispered back.

“Absolutely not.” Ryan replied while guiding Hope’s head down so that he could capture her lips in a kiss while his hand slid up further under her skirt.

“Please refrain from making out at the table. Especially when Klaus can return at any moment.” Freya commented, only sparing the young couple a brief glance before getting up to clear her plate away. “You should probably refrain from making out at any point. It would help sell the story that Ryan’s just your friend if his tongue isn’t down your throat. And I’ll have plausible deniability to knowing that you are dating someone who is 5 years older than you when you’re only 15 years old.” She added.

Hope pulled back from the kiss and stared wide eyed at her aunt as Ryan rested his head on her shoulder. He had thought that Freya was too preoccupied to notice what they were doing. Clearly that wasn’t the case, and Ryan knew that they would have to be even more careful. And wait until they were truly alone before they did anything. Pressing a light kiss to Hope’s shoulder, Ryan lifted his head and grabbed a strawberry off of Hope’s plate and held it up for her. When she wrapped her lips around it and took a bite, Ryan couldn’t help the flash of the mental image it caused of her wrapping her mouth around his dick and he let out a groan.

“You okay honey?” Hope asked.

“Not entirely. But I’ll manage.” Ryan replied. “But let’s just finish eating breakfast and then get started on that tour.”

“What’s wrong, Ryan?” Hope questioned as she shifted in his lap.

“Please stop moving, Princess.”

“OH... sorry.”

By the time they had finished eating, Freya had already left, letting them know that if either of them needed anything that she was just a call away. Once they cleaned up after breakfast, stealing kisses here and there, Hope led Ryan through the house, going over the history that she knew of for each room. When they reached the top floor a couple hours later, Hope bit her bottom lip and glanced at Ryan.

“So... did you, um, have a sex dream last night?” Hope asked slowly.

“I mean... I’ve tried to keep my thoughts as innocent as possible since we met, but it's hard to do sometimes...” Ryan replied as he pulled Hope into him.

“So you did have one?” Hope questioned.

“Yes.” Ryan said hesitantly.

“I um... I did too.”

“What was yours about?”

“You first.”

“Princess...”

“Please, Ry?”

“We uh, we were swimming, and um, our swimsuits just sort of... disappeared... well not _disappeared_ , but I pulled your bikini top off, and then you removed my swim trunks while I removed your bikini bottom... and then you were wrapped around me and I... dammit Princess... I _want_ you.”

“I had the same dream.”

Ryan pulled back and stared at Hope.

“You had... what!?”

“I had the same dream you did. It felt too much like it wasn’t just my dream, so I asked Freya if she had heard of people having literally the same dream as someone else, and she said that she's read that it's possible for soulmates... if they've been joined.”

“Soulmates... joined... Hope, we haven't _done_ anything like that. Not that I haven't thought about it. Clearly, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Ryan... you very firmly told Gavin and Anastasia that you see me in your future, and that any decision you make in regard to your future is going to be a joint decision that involves me. And I believe in the existence of soulmates and destiny. You know this. So who's to say that _‘joined’_ has to mean in the physical, sexual, way?”

“That’s usually what is meant by it. And fuck, Princess... that’s all I want to do right now.”

“You wanna fuck me?”

Ryan growled as he backed Hope against the wall behind her while wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her hips against his. Hope’s hands were running through Ryan’s hair, and her eyes were wide with a glint of mischief. The distance was closed within a second and Ryan was having to brace himself with one hand against the wall out of fear of crushing Hope. But that fear quickly dissipated when Ryan felt Hope undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his jeans. Fuck, he really needed her. Replacing the fear of crushing her was the fear of finishing too quickly or not making it pleasurable for her. Pushed to the back of his mind was the knowledge that she was only 15 and that continuing this would be illegal. He _needed_ her desperately. Hope had managed to free his dick from the confines of his boxers by the time Ryan’s hands were running up her thighs, under her skirt, and hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her panties. Her hands had just landed on his wrists to help him push her panties down when a loud crash downstairs broke through their moment and they were hastily pulling away from each other.

“What the hell was that?” Ryan asked as he reluctantly tucked his dick away.

“My father.” Hope replied, straightening her own clothes.

“He’s never hit you, right? Because that crash worries me.” Ryan questioned as he brushed Hope’s hair away from her cheeks and cupped her jaw.

“No, he’s never hit me. He has a temper, yes, and he’s turned his anger on me once, but that was only in the form of yelling at me to go away so that he wouldn’t hurt me.” Hope explained as she turned her head slightly and pressed a kiss to Ryan’s palm.

“If I’m going to be staying here for the summer, I should probably meet him.” Ryan commented.

“You should, yes... but um...” Hope trailed off before pushing herself onto her toes, “we should probably take separate showers before either of us are in the same room as my father.” She whispered.

“Why would that matter? We didn’t get nearly as far as either of us wanted to.” Ryan replied.

“My father has an extremely keen sense of smell. It would not end well for him to smell us on each other, paired with my arousal.”

“Your arousal, hm?”

Before Hope could analyze what his question meant, Ryan’s hand was back under her skirt and pushing her panties to the side to swipe his fingers through her folds. Turning towards Ryan’s other hand, which was still cupping her jaw, Hope lightly bit into his palm to stifle her moan. And when Ryan pulled his hand back from between her legs and brought his fingers to his mouth, Hope let out a whimper. The next 34 months were going to be torture for them if they kept this up.

“This is what I do to you?” Ryan asked.

“Yes.” Hope replied.

“Fuck.” Ryan growled. “I might not last until your 18th birthday, Princess.”

“Please try.” Hope whispered before pulling him down for a kiss, her tongue darting out to taste herself on his lips. “Wait here for 10 minutes. Let me get to my room and start taking a shower before you start yours.” She added against his lips.

“God I’ve missed you, Princess.” Ryan muttered back.

“I’ve missed you too, honey.” Hope replied before slipping out of Ryan’s embrace and hurrying down the hall.


	9. A Moment Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on the phone.  
>  _Italic_ text in single quotes is a note.

Ryan waited like Hope requested. He waited the 10 minutes before following her path in the direction of their rooms. When he reached his “room”, however, he noticed something sitting on the bed and he went over to investigate, only for his eyes to widen and his breath to catch in his throat. There, sitting on the bed, with a note written in Hope’s handwriting, was what Ryan could only assume to be the panties he had just nearly taken off of her not 20 minutes ago. Picking the note up, Ryan read it slowly.

_‘I took them off for you… your move, honey.’_

Ryan’s breath hitched again as he read Hope’s words over and over and over. His assumption had been correct, these had been the panties that he had nearly taken off of Hope... the panties that had been the only thing between him and Hope being able to have sex... Ryan let out a groan. He and Hope had nearly had sex. If it hadn’t been for her father showing up, they most definitely, probably, would have had sex. And he would have broken his promise to Hayley two months after making it. And breaking his promise to Hayley while she was currently missing... that was just all kinds of screwed up, and Ryan wouldn’t allow that to happen. Stuffing Hope’s panties into his pocket with one hand, Ryan ran his free hand over his face and let out a groan. Grabbing a chance of clothes, Ryan headed to the adjoining bathroom to take his own shower, the only thought running through his head was how desperately he wished and wanted Hope to be there with him.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Once Hope had finished taking her shower and gotten dressed in the same skirt as before but slipping on a sleeveless blouse and her heeled ankle boots, instead of a t-shirt and flats, she moved to her desk and opened her laptop. The moment with Ryan had her mind swirling, and she wanted to do some shopping. She could hear the water running in Ryan’s bathroom, indicating that he was taking a shower, so she knew she had some time to find what she was looking for. Once she had found a dozen or so different colors of the items she was looking for, Hope put in Hayley’s credit card information and placed the order, happily selecting overnight delivery as she did so. As she was closing her laptop, Hope sensed someone coming into her room and walking over to her, a small smile forming on her face.

“What is a human doing here, Hope?”

“He’s my friend, and he came to help me get through everything.” Hope replied, the smile faltering as she turned to face her father.

“He doesn’t belong here.” Klaus said.  
“That’s not for you to decide.” Hope retorted. “He’s been there for me more in the past 2 months then you have in the past 8 years.” She added as she stood up and stepped around him.

“Tell him to leave.” Klaus insisted.

“You’re not fucking listening to me, Dad! Ryan is MY FRIEND! HE’S HERE BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT ME TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS ALONE! Aunt Freya said he could stay, so he’s staying.” Hope snapped.

“Hope Andrea...” Klaus started.

“Don’t fucking do that! Don’t start acting like a father just because I have a guy that I get along with in my life. You lost the right to act like a father when you turned your back on me.”

Tears were already falling down Hope’s cheeks by the time Ryan and Freya came into the room. While Ryan crossed the room to Hope and wrapped his arms around her, Freya went to her brother and practically dragged him from the room. As Ryan rubbed Hope’s back to try and calm her down, he could hear bits and pieces of Freya and Klaus yelling at each other but couldn’t fully make out what they were saying. All he knew was that they are yelling about him being there. That had been, after all, what Hope and Klaus had been arguing about. Once he heard a door close in a far part of the house, and could no longer hear Freya or Klaus’ voices, Ryan bent down to lift Hope into his arms and carried her to the bed. As he placed her on the bed, Hope pulled Ryan down with her and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. If not, we can talk about something else.” Ryan offered as he wrapped his arms around Hope’s shoulders.

“I completely forgot to mention this yesterday... but I started on the painting.” Hope replied as she drew random shapes on Ryan’s chest with her fingertip.

“Can I see it?” Ryan asked.

“We just got comfortable.” Hope said with a pout.

“I didn’t necessarily mean right now, Princess.” Ryan said with a small smile. “I meant in general, will you allow me to see it before it’s done?”

“Maybe.”

“I’ll take maybe. It’s entirely up to you, Hope. I know that some artists don’t mind showing their work before it’s done, while others prefer to wait. Either way, I’ll be happy to see it whenever you’re ready to show me.”

“You really are too good to me sometimes, honey.”

“Hope... has no one in your life truly treated you like a priority, and that what you want truly matters?”

“Other than my family having to split up to protect me... no, not really. Case in point... my mom and Aunt Freya are always so worried when I have to come home on school breaks, that I’ve suggested many times that we find a place to rent in Mystic Falls, and they won’t go for it. That um... that’s part of what mine and my mom’s fight was about the other morning.”

“And let me guess... she thought you were making that suggestion to be closer to me?”

“Yep. But to be honest, I’ve been making this suggestion since well before you and I met. Now it would just be a bonus, given that you make me feel safe.”

“Are you sure about that, Princess? Since I’ve been here, you had a nightmare about your father torturing and killing me; we got into a pretty big fight; and your father showed up when we were extremely close to crossing a lot of lines. I don’t want you to be alone, but I also don’t want to cause you emotional pain if I’m here.”

Hope sat up and placed her hand on Ryan’s chest.

“Ryan Clarke, you are my world. I know that things haven’t been that great since you got here, and that if we had crossed that line earlier, we both would have regretted it. But that doesn’t change the fact that you keep me feeling safe.”

“Hope... what about your nightmare? And the underlying reasons behind the fight? How can I protect you from things that are happening in your mind?”

“That’s just... just things that I need to work on. And I will... I promise.”

“Let me help you work though them. I don’t want you to think or feel like you have to do any of that alone. I’d be a really crappy _friend_ if I didn’t help.”

Sitting up fully, Hope moved to straddle Ryan’s lap and pulled him into a sitting position himself before holding his face in her hands. As blue eyes searched brown the distance between them closed and their lips met slowly. Despite the intensity of all of their previous make out sessions since Ryan’s arrival in New Orleans, this one did not reach the same level of intensity and ended only when the need to breath became apparent for both of them.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you want to help.” Hope whispered.

“You, your safety, your happiness, your wellbeing... everything involving you is my top priority, Hope Mikaelson. There’s nothing that you could say or do that would ever have my determination in making sure you’re okay to falter. I just need you to talk to me, tell me what’s going on so that I _can_ help.” Ryan replied.

“Do we have to talk about it right now?” Hope asked in a small voice.

“Not if you don’t want to, just promise me that we will talk about it. It’s not good to keep things bottled up, Hope.” Ryan said as he leaned up and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead. “But I do have to know something...” He trailed off.

“What’s that?”

“Are you expecting me to return your panties?”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to, but I just thought... given what we were in the middle of when my father got home...”

“I definitely plan on keeping them, Princess, I just wanted to double check. It does, however, make me wonder...”

Holding Hope’s gaze, Ryan lightly trailed his fingertips along Hope’s thighs under her skirt and to her hips. With a playful pout at finding her wearing a new pair of panties, Ryan pulled his hands back and pulled Hope down for a kiss. When Hope nipped Ryan’s lower lip, however, he pulled away and looked up at her.

“I want to get out of the house for a little bit. Wanna go for a walk?” Hope asked.

“I thought you were grounded?” Ryan questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sure if I appeal to Aunt Freya about wanting to show you around New Orleans, she might be willing to let us go out.” Hope replied.

“And your father?” Ryan asked.

“He doesn’t get a say. He no longer lives here, and he’s been out of my life more than he’s been in it. Aunt Freya is more of a parent to me than my father.” Hope replied. “Besides... don’t you want to be able to walk around outside, holding hands... like a couple?” She asked before biting her lower lip.

“Damn it, Hope, why do you always use that?” Ryan groaned.

“Because it usually works?”

“Real cute, Miss Mikaelson.”

It had been said as a grumbled joke, but those four words, said that way, had both of them freezing. Hope knew that Ryan had liked seeing her in her uniform, but did he like seeing her that way more than he let on? If the fact that he was squeezing his eyes shut and moving her off of his lap so he could stand up was anything to go by, Hope could only assume that he did, and it was a train of thoughts that he tried to push down, given her age. When Ryan started pacing back and forth at the side of the bed, Hope knelt on the bed and silently watched him, wanting to reach out to him; to tell him everything was okay, even though she didn’t think anything was even wrong to begin with; just reassure him that he could tell her whatever was on his mind.

“Ryan?”

“No, Hope. This conversation is not one that we are having when you’re 15.” Ryan said quickly.

“Why not?” Hope asked.

“Because not only are you inexperienced with sex in general, this is something that goes beyond that. It’s something that I’ve been trying to get past for years, since it’s a bit degrading, and I refuse to do that to you.”

“Shouldn’t I be the judge of what I find degrading?”

“Hope... please, not now.”

“I’m not saying that we have to talk about it now, but don’t you dare make decisions about what I will and won’t be okay with eventually doing for me. We are going to discuss it as a couple, at some point, and _I_ will make the decision for myself. I’m sick and tired of everyone in my life making decisions for me. I might not be an adult yet, but I can make my own choices, and how the hell am I supposed to make mistakes and grow as a person if someone else is deciding what’s best for me? It’s not fair.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. But Hope, I really don’t want to introduce my mother’s world to you. I want to protect you from that, and where my mind just went when I said what I said is a direct link to that. I want nothing to do with all of that, and I would hate if you were roped into it.”

“Ryan, honey, if you’re the one introducing me to it, then we have complete control over the situation, and we can ease me into what you want to show me. You have nothing to worry about.”

“But I do have something to worry about, Hope. We might be 3 to 4 states away from my family right now, and in a different time zone from them, but that’s just for the summer. There’s no 100% way to protect you from them when we’re back in Mystic Falls. If Landon gets to you before I think we’re at a good place to discuss this fully, it’ll be horrible for you.”

Hope moved off of the bed and closed the distance between her and Ryan, taking his face in her hands and leaning up to press a reassuring kiss to his lips. Her touch seemed to calm his racing mind, and Ryan sighed into the kiss.

“Listen to me, Ryan... I adore you. The way you strive to keep me safe and protected from your family is more than I could ever ask of you. But if your idiot brother manages to get close enough to me, he won’t know what hit him. I am able to defend myself in hand to hand, and I can land a pretty mean punch. But there is very little chance of that even happening. If he tries to get to me at school, he’s trespassing on private property. And I’ve always been careful and not gone through town square to get to the bookstore. Although, that might have to change from time to time. I’ll need to start returning to school with a book, or else someone might start getting suspicious.” Hope explained as she wrapped one hand around the back of Ryan’s neck and dropped the other one to cover his heart.

“I can’t lose you, Hope.” Ryan whispered.

“You won’t.”

“No, I really _can’t_ lose you... it’s dangerous, but you’ve become my entire world, Hope. I don’t know what I would do if I were to ever lose you.”

Wrapping her arms tightly around Ryan’s neck, Hope pressed her body as close to his as she possibly could. Every second between them held a different feel to it, and while it was constantly changing, Hope didn’t mind. They were growing as a couple, and while it wasn’t exactly an ideal way to spend their time together, constantly having to comfort each other because of one thing or another, it was making them a stronger couple, and for that fact alone, Hope wouldn’t change anything that had happened so far since Ryan had gotten to New Orleans. Right as Ryan wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist to pull her even closer, a knock sounded on the door frame and they pulled apart.

“Where’s Dad?” Hope asked in a small voice as she look over at her aunt.

“He’s out clearing his head. But I’ve managed to talk some sense into him about Ryan being here. Since there is clearly a lot of tension that rises between you and him when you’re around each other, he’s going to be keeping his distance. But while he’s here, you two need to keep things at strictly a friendship level. No lingering hugs, or holding hands, or kissing, or whatever else the two of you have been doing while you’ve been alone.” Freya replied.

“He’s going to be watching us from a distance to make sure we aren’t lying to him.” Hope commented.

“Yes.” Freya said with a nod.

“I feel like I should explain myself to him.” Ryan offered.

“As honorable as that is, Ryan, I honestly don’t think it will help matters. At least not right now. Give him some time. He’s trying to adjust to being back in New Orleans and around Hope after being away for so long, and he’s frustrated about Hayley’s disappearance and there not being any leads. On top of all of that, he’s never had to worry about Hope having a guy in her life before that wasn’t family to some extent, so I can only assume that he feels a bit threatened by you, and he doesn’t like feeling threatened.” Freya explained.

“It’s not like Ryan is trying to be a father figure to... crap!” Hope exclaimed before running around her bed to grab her phone.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked.

“I need to warn Declan.” Hope replied.

“Who’s Declan?”

“My mom’s boyfriend. If Dad is feeling threatened by you, there’s a chance that he’ll lash out by going for the actual guy that’s been like a father to me for the last few years. Other than my step-dad when I was a baby, Declan is the only other guy that my mom has been with that had that place in my life.”

“Is he someone that I should meet?”

Hope looked over at Ryan and gave him a soft smile. The look on his face told her how he was feeling. Even though she’d mentioned her mom’s boyfriend before, she’d never mentioned Declan’s name, and therefore, Ryan was jealous. Not that he had any reason to be. He was the only one that she had eyes for, and she was going to remind him of that fact just as soon as she was done talking to Declan.

“ **Hope? Is everything okay?** ” Declan asked.

“Where are you, right now?” Hope questioned back.

“ **Rousseau’s. Why?** ”

“Leave, now. Head home, and don’t answer the door for anyone. Especially not for...”

“ **Now, now, Sweetheart, that’s no way to talk about your father, now is it?** ”

“Dad... please don’t hurt him.”

“ **I allowed the mutt to be in your life, because your mother got him and his pack of fellow mutts to agree to protect you. This mere human has no such agreement, so why should I leave him alive?** ”

“Because he’s done nothing against you. He’s cared about me and mom, and he’s taken care of us. And because I’m asking you to.”

“ **Your art is displayed around Rousseau’s as if you are his child.** ”

“He can be proud of my artistic ability, Dad, that’s not a crime.”

“ **He’s bedded your mother, hasn’t he?** ”

“I don’t know, Dad. But if you killed every man who’s bedded mom, you’d have to kill yourself and Uncle Elijah, too. But for god sakes, he’s Cami’s cousin, and he’s done nothing wrong!”

“ **Cami... who told you about Camille?** ”

“Mom and Aunt Freya. They told me what Cami went through to keep me safe. Declan has done nothing less than her, and she would be crushed if you killed him and she were still alive.”

There was a long pause as Hope held her breath and looked between Ryan and Freya. She could hear Klaus breathing over the phone, and she could just barely make out that Declan was pleading for mercy, but Hope had no idea what her father was going to do. He had part of the Hollow in him, and that made him even more unpredictable than he usually was. Even with her pleading and bringing up the only other woman other than Caroline that she knew her father loved, Hope had no way of knowing if he would back down or not. Hell, her pleading and bringing up Cami could push him over the edge and kill Declan out of spite.

“ **Never mention Camille to me ever again.** ” Klaus growled before the line went dead.

Hope pulled her phone away from her ear and let out the breath that she had been holding. Glancing at her aunt, Hope gave a small nod and Freya left. Moving back around her bed, Hope walked over to her bedroom door and closed and locked it before turning around to face Ryan, leaning back against the door as she tilted her head to the side.

“You okay, Princess?” Ryan asked as he closed the distance between them and placed his hands against the door on either side of her body.

“I will be.” Hope replied while hooking her fingers through the belt loops on Ryan’s jeans and pulled him closer. “I am, however, getting really aroused right now, and all I want to do is...”

Ryan pressed his lips to Hope’s to cut off her sentence. He knew where that was going, and it was dangerous territory. If he had let her continue, the chances of what she was wanting to happen were very high of them actually happening. And damn did he want her too. Leaning down a little bit more, Ryan wrapped his hands around the backs of Hope’s thighs and lifted her into his arms. They both needed something, and she had locked the door, so he was going to do something to help them out. Whether it was a good idea or not was pushed to the back of his mind as he carried Hope to the bed. Laying her down in the middle of the bed and hovering over her, Ryan reached under Hope’s skirt and quickly pulled her panties down her legs before tossing them somewhere over his shoulder. The kiss broke at that moment as Hope ran her fingertips along the waistband of Ryan’s jeans.

“Are we... are we really doing this?” Hope whispered.

“Not nearly as far as either of us want it to, but it’ll be something. Something that will not happen on a regular basis, but something that we both need right now.” Ryan replied.

Pressing another kiss to Hope’s lips, Ryan lightly ran his fingers along her inner thighs, lightly nudging her legs apart as he went. The second his fingers came in contact with her arousal, however, Hope grabbed Ryan’s wrist and stopped him, breaking the kiss again.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked as he pulled his hand away.

“I- I don’t know... I just...” Hope trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

“Oh, Princess, come here.” Ryan said as he laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “It’s okay.”

“Something’s wrong, Ryan... we don’t have this issue at home... why do we have it here?” Hope asked.

“ _’At home’_?” Ryan questioned slowly.

“Oh... um... is that okay? That I see you and Mystic Falls as my true home?”

“It’s more than okay... but are you sure that’s how you feel? I mean, New Orleans...”

“New Orleans will always be where I was born, but it’s never felt like home to me. Most of my life was spent away from here for one reason or another... whereas I’ve spent more than half my life being a student at the boarding school, so Mystic Falls has always been the constant. It’s where my parents met... it’s where I was... well...”

“So on top of all of that, add me living there, you feel more comfortable in Mystic Falls than here.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Hope, you know that, right? There’s nothing wrong with not feeling at home in a place but feeling at home with a specific person.”

“I just don’t want to let my family down, especially not after everything they’ve done to fight for me since they found out about me.”

“If they truly love you, then they’ll just be happy that you’re happy. And if you are happier in Mystic Falls, then they shouldn’t try to keep you away from there. I know that I’ll never ask you to do something that makes you unhappy. Or at least I’ll try not to, consciously.”

“With that line of thought, my mom and aunt don’t really love me.”

“Have you actually told them that you don’t feel at home in New Orleans? That you feel more at home in Mystic Falls?”

“Not exactly...”

“Then how are they supposed to ensure you’re happy if you don’t tell them that you’re _unhappy_?”

“I supposed there’s some merit to that...”

“Some?”

“Mhm.”

“Hope, I know that most teenagers don’t like talking to their parents much, because they feel like their parents don’t listen to them, or care about what they want, but your mom and aunt don’t strike me as those kind of adults. If you tell them that _you_ aren’t happy, or don’t feel at home here in New Orleans, I’m sure they’ll be more open to finding a place in Mystic Falls.”

“Are you trying to get me to admit that I’ve been going about things the wrong way?”

“I’m trying to get you to see things from a different angle. You said that you’ve been suggesting trying to find a place in Mystic Falls because your mom and Freya tend to freak out when you’re home, right? That’s putting it on them, while taking how you feel out of the scenario. But if they don’t feel the same way you do, about not feeling at home here, then they won’t be inclined to want to make the move.”

“Okay... fine... you’re right... I’ll tell them how I’m feeling and see how things go.”

Pressing a kiss to Hope’s forehead, Ryan settled back against the pillows and held Hope close.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

They stayed like that for a few hours in comfortable silence, just enjoying the other’s presence. It was the first calm moment that they’d had since Ryan had arrived, and it was nice. When Ryan was beginning to think that Hope might have dozed off, she shifted in his embrace and sat up. When he gave her a curious look, she simply smiled at him and moved to grab her laptop from her desk. Curling back up against his side, Hope pulled up a house listings website and looked up at him while biting her bottom lip.

“Have you found a place yet?” Hope asked.

“Not yet. I did promise that my girlfriend could help me pick. But the last two weeks have been an adjustment at the bookstore as is. And um... I’ve completely moved out of the apartment above the garage. Before I left Mystic Falls the other day, I packed up the rest of my stuff and put it in storage.” Ryan replied.

“So you’re technically homeless right now?” Hope questioned.

“Not at all. My home is with you, too, Hope. Wherever that ends up being.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. It might be moving too fast, but there’s just something about our connection that makes the pace we’re going feel... right.”

“I feel the same way. And if what Aunt Freya has read about soulmates being able to share literal dreams, then our relationship is already on a different timetable than other people.”

“You believe we’re soulmates?”

“I definitely do. I can’t explain it any other way. I knew it the moment I turned around.”

Tilting Hope’s chin up, Ryan pressed a light kiss to her lips before turning his attention to the website.

“Before we get started with the search, I think we should discuss Anastasia’s suggestion.” Ryan commented.

“About doing a remodel to the bookstore and me selling baked goods in a little café there?” Hope asked.

“Yes. Is that something that you’d be interested in doing?” Ryan inquired.

“I’m interested... but is a remodel something that you want to do to the bookstore? What about the guys? What will happen to Jake, Martin, Scott and Shawn if you go forward with a remodel?”

“I’ve honestly been wanting to remodel the bookstore for a while now; I just didn’t have the financial means, or the authority to do it, and I never considered adding in a café. But if this is something that we want to invest our time and money in, then I would sit down with each of them and get their opinion on it before we make a final decision. I would never make a decision as big as this one, that might involve hours being cut while the remodel is going on, without first talking it over with everyone.”

“You really are an amazing guy, Ryan Clarke.”

“I try. But it also helps that I have an incredible woman by my side, who makes me want to be a good person even more than I ever have before.”

“So... requirement number one... decent sized kitchen?”

“Of course. You’ll need space to bake, and I’ll need space to cook you meals. Because there’s no way in hell I’m going to not cooking for you.”

“You don’t have to do that, honey.”

“I might not have to, but I definitely want to.”

Hope couldn’t argue with that. And honestly, she didn’t _want_ to argue with that. If Ryan wanted to a decent sized kitchen so that he could cook for her, then who was she to deny him that chance? She knew that he was a good cook, and a good cook deserved a big kitchen. Or at least a bigger one than he had in his apartment. Leaning over, Hope pressed a kiss to Ryan’s cheek before turning back to her laptop and opening the search criteria on the site.

“Okay... decent sized kitchen is a must, how many bedrooms and bathrooms?” Hope asked.

“2 and 2, preferably.” Ryan replied. “One for us, and one for guests.” He added in a whisper, directly in her ear before pressing a kiss to her neck just below her earlobe.

“Mm. You know we won’t be able to share a bed for another 3 years, honey, so _if_ there’s ever a time I do spend the night, we’ll be in separate rooms.” Hope replied.

“I know. But one of the rooms is still going to be for us, and the other for guests. _When_ you spend the night, you’ll be in our room, and I’ll sleep on the couch.” Ryan said.

“Why wouldn’t I just sleep in the second bedroom so that way you wouldn’t be displaced?” Hope asked with a confused frown.

“I don’t want you to ever think of yourself as a guest in whatever house or apartment I end up getting, Princess. So _our_ bedroom, _our_ bed, and until we can share it, _when_ you spend the night, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Ryan explained. “You won’t be able to change my mind on this, Hope.”

“Fine.” Hope said with a soft growl. “2 beds, 2 baths. Anything else?”

“Not a requirement, but a preference... a designated laundry room.”

With a nod, Hope typed in what they were looking for. Houses ended up being a no go, simply because they were more than what Ryan had been left by the Fells, but they did find a couple of apartments that could be contenders. Ryan figured it was probably pointless to start looking so soon after arriving in New Orleans, given that he had gotten the go ahead from Freya to stay for the summer, but at the same time, when he and Hope did go back to Mystic Falls, he needed a place to live, and if need be, he could always text one of the guys he worked with to get things sorted with the landlord so that he was ready to go when he got back. Between his employees and Seylah and Landon, Ryan definitely trusted his employees a lot more with his stuff than he trusted his family.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

After a few hours of sorting through the listings, the young couple had to take a break when Freya called up from downstairs that dinner would be ready soon. Once Hope had saved their search, she moved her laptop back to her desk before climbing back onto the bed and straddling Ryan’s lap. They didn’t have a lot of time before Freya would come up to get them for not coming down for dinner, but that didn’t stop Hope from pressing her lips to Ryan’s in a soft kiss and then swiping her tongue along the seam of his lips and nibbling on his bottom lip. Ryan’s reaction was immediate. His hips bucked up against Hope’s, causing her to moan into the kiss, and he was flipping them over and pinning Hope to the bed.

“You should know better than to start something that we definitely can’t do, and wouldn’t even have time to do, even if we could do it, Princess.” Ryan muttered in between trailing kisses along Hope’s jaw and capturing her earlobe between his teeth.

“And _you_ should know by now that I’m horny as hell and want nothing more than to have you inside me.” Hope retorted with a breathy moan.

“Oh, I do. I’d like that too, but we managed to go a few hours without trying to take each other’s clothes off... I was thinking we were going to try and go the rest of the evening without going at each other. Self-control and all, to ensure your father doesn’t catch us doing something we shouldn’t be doing, and your nightmare doesn’t become a reality.” Ryan replied.

Hope pouted up at Ryan and lightly pushed on his shoulder so that she could sit up. As Ryan moved off of her, he rested his hand on her side, giving it a slight squeeze before resting his forehead against hers.

“I promise you, Hope Mikaelson, when the time comes for us to be able to make love, the wait will be worth it.” Ryan said.

“Take it one day at a time?” Hope asked.

“Absolutely. We’ll tackle any obstacle that comes our way, and we’ll come out a stronger couple for it in the long run.” Ryan replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I have every intention of living a long and happy life with you by my side.”


	10. Loss of Childhood Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Bold** text in quotes is the person not present in the scene on the phone.

Minutes turned into hours. Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. And before anyone currently residing in The Abattoir knew it, 2 months had passed since Hayley’s abduction, and there still wasn’t a single lead on where she was, who had taken her, or why they had taken her. Hope was starting to lose faith that her family would ever be full again, or ever, for that matter. Ryan’s presence helped, somewhat, but the longer it took to find anything relating to Hayley’s disappearance, the more Hope could feel the Hollow creeping back in. Hope knew she needed to do something drastic at this point, but she didn’t know how she would manage that when 3/4ths of who she needed for her plan weren’t currently anywhere near New Orleans. Rebekah and Marcel were still in New York, for the most part; Kol and Davina were still in San Francisco; and Elijah... no one knew where Elijah currently was. At least that’s what Hope believed. Since her father was keeping his distance, she never knew if he was in New Orleans, or if he was off being wherever Elijah was.

There were signs that Hope could have been looking for whenever her father wasn’t lurking about the house to indicate if he was near one of his siblings, but if Hope took her attention away from Ryan for too long, she would feel the Hollow’s presence clawing at the back of her mind, and it would set her off, so Hope wasn’t paying too much attention to her surroundings. If she had, she would have noticed the blood rain. Or the earthquakes around the city. Or any of the other unnatural-natural disasters that was forewarned would happen in the Hollow’s presence. But because she had Ryan with her, her attention was elsewhere, and that’s what Freya and Ryan both wanted. They didn’t want Hope dwelling on what was happening, or that they didn’t have any leads on Hayley’s whereabouts. They knew that Hope would breakdown if she focused on her mother. So instead, Ryan kept Hope hauled up in her room, working on the painting of them.

“Does it usually take you this long to work on a painting, Princess?” Ryan asked as he pulled Hope’s desk chair over to where Hope was sitting at her easel and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“It depends. But I want this one to be perfect. I don’t want to mess it up.” Hope replied as she leaned back into Ryan’s embrace.

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing no matter what, Hope. The subjects absolutely adore each other, that much is obvious.” Ryan muttered into her ear before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“That’s what I’m talking about. I want to full portray how they feel about each other, and if one little thing is out of place, it can throw the entire painting off kilter.” Hope explained with a frown.

“Do you want to take a break? Go for a swim?” Ryan suggested.

“A break sounds good.” Hope said with an absentminded nod.

Lifting her up from her stool, Ryan spun Hope around and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, and then her nose and finally to her lips. While it was still a work in progress, they’d started to figure out that light kisses were the best way to avoid going too far and could pacify their need for physical contact. At least for the most part; true to their promise to each other, they were taking things one day at a time. They still hadn’t talked about what plagued Hope’s mind, or what had been the underlying reasons behind their fight, but Ryan had no intention of pushing Hope to talk about it. Not when there were other things that he was trying to distract her from. There had been a couple times when Hope seemed like she was about to mention it, but every time she had, she ended up retreating back in on herself and didn’t fully open up. It was a bit frustrating for Ryan, because he desperately wanted to help his girlfriend get through whatever was going on in her head, but he still didn’t push her. She was 15 and already vulnerable due to what was going on with her mom, trying to force her to talk about something when she wasn’t ready wouldn’t help matters any. As the kiss broke and Ryan pulled away, a loud commotion could be heard from downstairs and Hope frowned up at Ryan before running out of her room and to the top of the stairs. Ryan was right behind her, grabbing her around the waist to steady her when she lurched forward toward the banister. Ryan caught Klaus’ eye from below and the second he was sure Hope was steady on her feet, his hands fell to his sides.

Once he had taken a half step away from Hope, Ryan’s gaze shifted from Klaus to the boy standing next to him. The boy that was staring guiltily up at Hope, who in turn was glaring daggers at him. Ryan didn’t like the anger radiating off of his girlfriend, but he knew better than to reach out for her. Especially with her father still eyeing him carefully. When Hope gripped the banister in front of her, hard enough for the wood to splinter- definitely harder than he though Hope was capable of- Ryan glances around the courtyard below, trying to determine the cause of the commotion that had him and Hope running out of her room in the first place.

“What the _hell_ are you doing here, Roman? How did you even _find_ my address? The school’s records for students is locked up tight. Trust me, I am well acquainted with that, having tried to get my own file out in the past.” Hope seethed. That answered one of Ryan’s questions, he went to school with Hope.

“Look, Marshall…” Roman started, but shrunk back when both Klaus and Hope growled.

“If you know where I live, you damn well know my last name is not Marshall. Now answer my question. What. The. **_Hell_**. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

“I came to help. I have information on what happened to your mom.” Roman replied and in a blink of an eye for Ryan, Klaus had Roman pinned against one of the pillars in the courtyard.

“I invited you into my family’s home because you said you were a friend of my daughter’s from school…” Klaus said, his voice low and even, but powerful enough to carry up to where Hope and Ryan stood, causing Hope to snort out a “as if”, which caused Klaus to tighten his hold. “And now you’re saying, that after 2 damn months of _nothing_ , you have information about the whereabouts of Hope’s mother.” Klaus was seething. “After 2 GOD DAMN MONTHS!?”

“Believe me, if I had known sooner, I would have said something.” Roman claimed, his eyes darting from Klaus to Hope.

“We have no reason to believe you, Roman.” Hope said.

“Look... I get that... I do, but I’m going against my own mother by coming here. I can take you to your mom. I can help you save her before she gets more hurt than she already has been.” Roman pleaded.

“What do you mean _‘more hurt’_... what have you done to Hope’s mother?” Ryan asked.

“ _I_ haven’t done anything, but my mom... she has people who have hurt her. Her birthmark... they skinned it from her shoulder. It’s probably already on it’s way here. They plan to do a lot worse if their demands aren’t met.” Roman said, shooting a glare at Ryan.

“What demands? We’ve gotten nothing from anyone in the two months that she’s been missing.” Klaus inquired.

“I...” Roman trailed off, eyeing Ryan.

“Tell him, Roman. You know damn well what he’s capable of.” Hope said, stepping closer to Ryan and silently daring Roman to try anything.

“The demands are probably coming with the part of her that they skinned.” Roman said as he straightened his jacket.

“Ryan, keep Hope upstairs in her room. Neither of you are to leave that room until I say otherwise. Or until I have Freya tell you otherwise.” Klaus instructed, and despite Klaus being turned away from him, Ryan nodded, linking his fingers through Hope’s and tugging at her hand lightly to lead her back towards her room.

By the time they got back to her room, Hope was shaking and her eyes were filled with tears. She’d never had a good vibe about Roman, but the fact that he was connected to the woman behind her mother’s abduction had Hope worrying about these supposed demands. The way Roman had been staring at her… it made Hope think the demands involved her. And if they had skinned her mother’s shoulder to remove her birthmark, the same one that Hope had on her own shoulder, the one that clearly showed the Supernatural world that they were part of the Crescent Pack, the very thing that was always there to show Hayley was a werewolf, well, Hope feared for her inner wolf. From the little bit that Roman had given them, and logical thinking, Hope could only assume that Roman’s mother was a Vampire elitist that wanted the extinction of werewolves. And since her mother was a Hybrid, there was only one way Hope had heard of, through the grapevine, that could hold back a werewolf’s wolf side was by binding it. From what she had _overheard_ her mother and aunt talking about, her father had been forced to endure. And it had been after breaking that curse that had allowed her father to procreate.

Thinking about all the implications was making Hope sick to her stomach and rushing to her bathroom. Barely making it to the toilet before she emptied the contents of her stomach, Hope was grateful for Ryan being there, rubbing her back to calm her down and pressing a cold washcloth to her head. Once she was sure she was done throwing up, Hope curled up against Ryan’s side as he sat with his back to her bathtub and held her close. After Hope’s body had stopped shaking, Ryan eased Hope to be leaning back against the tub before standing up to grab a glass of water for her to rinse her mouth out with. Resuming his spot on the bathroom floor and pulling Hope into his lap, Ryan presses a kiss to her temple.

“Is that the boy you told me about the day after your birthday? The one who tried hitting on you?” Ryan asked slowly.

“Yes.” Hope replied in a small voice.

“I don’t trust him.” Ryan said firmly.

“That makes two of us, honey. Probably three, given the way my dad reacted.” Hope added.

“Your family is extremely protective of each other, yet your mom isn’t a Mikaelson, so what’s the story there?” Ryan asked.

“When my dad finally came around to believing that he had gotten my mom pregnant, it was sort of a no brainer. At first it started out as the fact that he didn’t trust her not to do something to harm me while she was pregnant, since, according to my Aunt Rebekah, my mom did, at one point early on, contemplate digesting poison. She ended up not going through with that plan, obviously, but as time went on, that distrust they had for each other turned to trust; trust turned to like; like to love; and because she’s my mom, she considered an honorary Mikaelson. With time, you’ll be just as protected against the enemies my family has made, because you’ll be my family.” Hope explained.

“I don’t think that’s really necessary, Princess.”

“Whether it’s necessary or not, it’ll happen.”

“If being able to spend the rest of my life with you means that I get the Family Protection Plan, then I’ll take it.”

“Good. Because I’m not letting you go.”

“If it makes you feel better, I think your dad is warming up to me. He did banish us to your room together.”

Hope raised an eyebrow at Ryan who gave her a smirk. She wasn’t sure if Klaus’ reasoning had anything to do with him warming up to the fact that Ryan was in Hope’s life, or if it was a way to keep Ryan from seeing anything Supernatural, but either way, Hope couldn’t deny that it felt nice that her father had specifically said that neither her nor Ryan could leave her room until told they could. Her mind raced a bit with all the possibilities of what they could get into, but she pushed them away. Now was not the time to be thinking of sex with Ryan. She’d just gotten the first bit of news on what had happened to her mom, and she needed to focus on finding a way to save her. Spreading her legs for Ryan wasn’t helpful. Although she had to admit to herself, she was curious about her boyfriend’s size. She could only assume that he was big, given Ryan’s height and build, but other than that, she had next to nothing to go on.

Slowly pulling back from Ryan’s embrace, Hope stood up and moved to the sink. Taking a sip of water, she swished it around her mouth and spit it out, doing that a couple more times to ensure that the taste of vomit was gone. Bracing her hands on the counter, Hope stared at her reflection and took a deep breath. The girl staring back didn’t look like her. She was a scared little kid who had no right having an older boyfriend. She was inexperienced with sex and dealing with a bunch of family crap that he shouldn’t have been roped into. But he had been, and he didn’t care that Hope was inexperienced. Ryan still cared about Hope, and that was more than enough. Closing her eyes, Hope took another deep breath, trying to calm her body.

It didn’t work.

Ryan had managed to slide up behind her with her hearing him and was pressing his body to her back. She could feel his hardness against her ass as he rubbed against her and Hope’s eyes flew open. Ryan was standing directly behind her, his chest pressed firmly to Hope’s back and his hands were at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. She saw the flash of arousal in Ryan’s eyes as they darkened with lust at seeing the dark blue lace that currently confined her breasts. Her bra quickly followed her shirt to the ground before Ryan spun Hope around and bent down to capture a nipple in his mouth. Hope let out a surprised gasp at Ryan’s actions, causing him to pull away from her chest long enough to pull his own shirt over his head. Before it even landed on the floor, Ryan was back to sucking on Hope’s breasts as he ran his hands over her thighs and lifted one of her legs up and around his waist, pressing his erection firmly against her center.

Hope let out a soft moan as she moved her hands to Ryan’s hair, running her fingers through his curls and lightly tugging to get him to move his mouth elsewhere: namely her lips. As their lips met in a searing kiss, the rest of their clothes seemingly disappeared and Ryan was lifting Hope onto the counter and standing between her legs. They’d been in this position before, the night they met, but they’d both been fully clothed and it seemed so long ago. Right as Ryan was about to push forward, however, there was a knock on her bedroom door, breaking them out of the moment.

Hope blinked a few times and looked around. She was still standing at the sink, staring at her reflection, and Ryan was still sitting with his back against the bathtub, watching her with a worried frown on his face. When the knock sounded again, Ryan stood up, closed the distance between him and Hope to press kiss to the top of her head and then went to open the bedroom door. Hope loved how at ease Ryan was in her family’s home. It gave her the hope she desperately needed that things would work out for them in the long run, no matter what they had to go through to get to their life together. But as Ryan talked to whomever was at the door, which Hope could only guess was Freya, since the conversation didn’t seem tense, Hope refocused on her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was a bit labored and her nipples were clearly visible through her bra and shirt, pulling Hope’s focus to the arousal pooling in her belly and soaking her panties. She definitely was going to need a cold shower before she was anywhere near her father again.

“Hope, Sweetie, can you come here please?” Freya called and Hope nodded to herself, answering her own silent question, it had been Freya that Ryan was talking to.

“I’ll be there in a sec Aunt Freya.” Hope called back before turning on the faucet and cupping some cold water in her hands to splash on her face, praying that it would cool the flush on her cheeks.

Once Hope joined Freya and Ryan in her room, she curled up on the bed and leaned against Ryan’s side as Freya sat at the foot of the bed. The small flint of hopefulness that Hope had seen in her aunt’s eyes that Hayley would be found unharmed and completely safe was gone and tears welled up in Hope’s eyes.

“What were the demands? What does Roman’s mom want with Mom? With me?” Hope asked.

“It’s not just you and your mom, Hope. It’s your father too.” Freya explained.

“What did we ever do to them?” Hope asked in a small voice.

“Klaus is the reason Greta’s husband is dead. She wants justice for that.” Freya said.

“That has nothing to do with me and mom!” Hope exclaimed.

“I know Sweetie, I know.” Freya replied with a sigh

“I don’t understand... Klaus and Hayley aren’t even married... why would they go after Hayley to get to Klaus?” Ryan asked.

“With Hope being protected at school, it was easier to get to Hayley.” Freya said with a shrug.

“But it happened when I was here for Summer break... if that was the case, then they would have gone after her when I was still at school.” Hope argued.

“If they’re after you too, then maybe they thought it was the best plan?” Freya tried. “If they had taken her while you were at school, then we would have worked something out with Alaric and Caroline for you to stay there until things got sorted out. But this way, taking Hayley when they did... it ensured that you would have to get in contact with her father to let him know what happened, and then he would come rushing back to New Orleans.”

“I still don’t understand why they went for Hayley first... why not try and find Klaus himself?” Ryan questioned.

“My siblings were on the run from our father for years. Klaus knows how to stay hidden... at least for the most part.” Freya explained.

“So they went after Hayley? That makes no sense!” Ryan exclaimed, tightening his hold on Hope as if his mere holding her would keep these faceless people from getting to his girlfriend.

“They are going after the ones that matter most to Klaus. While Klaus and Hayley aren’t _in_ love, she still holds a bigger part of his heart than the rest of the family, simply because she is Hope’s mother. The demands are that Klaus and Hope both agree to meet and do everything that is asked of them and once that is done, they’ll all be set free.” Freya said.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, Freya, given that you’ve allowed me to stay here for the summer, which I greatly appreciate, but you seem to be going back and forth between speculating what these people’s motives are, and sounding certain what their motives are. Is there something that you aren’t saying?” Ryan inquired.

“It’s okay, Ryan… she doesn’t have to say it… I know what they want us to do, and if it’ll save Mom, I’ll do it.” Hope said.

“Absolutely not.”

Klaus stood in the doorway looking completely livid. Hope couldn’t tell if it was because she was already agreeing to binding her werewolf side before she’d even activated it, or if it was because of the _conversation_ he’d just had with Roman in the cells below the house, or a combination of the two. But whatever the reason behind it was, Hope had only ever seen that look in his eyes once before, and that was when she had Astral Projected to see him when she was 9 years old. The last time she had seen him prior to her mother’s disappearance. The reason why he had turned his back on her. Hope curled up more against Ryan’s side at the look on her father’s face and Ryan wrapped his arms more securely around Hope’s petite frame. The second Klaus went to step over the threshold while glaring daggers at Ryan, Freya was up on her feet and pushing Klaus back.

“Dad, please. If it’s the only way to save Mom, I want to do it.” Hope pleaded.

“It’s not happening, Hope. Your classmate told me where your mother is being held, I will go there myself and free her. If need be, I’ll offer myself up in her place.” Klaus replied.

“You selfish bastard!” Hope snarled as she suddenly lunged over Ryan to try and get to her father.

“Ryan, hold her back!” Freya explained, almost unnecessarily, as Ryan had grabbed Hope around the middle as she had flown over him. “Klaus, I swear to god if you leave your daughter one more time, you will regret it. We will figure something out that keeps all of you safe, that doesn’t require you sacrificing yourself in Hayley’s spot.” She added as she grabbed her brother’s ear and tugged him away from Hope’s room.

The further Freya and Klaus got from her room, the calmer Hope got and once she calmed down enough to think clearly, her cheeks flushed red and she buried her face in Ryan’s chest while he rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry.” Hope muttered.

“I think it’s time we talk about what’s going on with you, Hope. I haven’t wanted to push you to talk about it before you’re ready, but each interaction with your father when the two of you are in close proximity has been escalating. There’s only so much to do to help if I don’t know what I’m helping with, or if I’m even helping as it is.” Ryan said with a sigh.

“It’s nothing, Ryan.” Hope replied as she pulled away from his chest and sat cross-legged next to him.

“It’s clearly not ‘nothing’, Hope. You just snarled at your father and lunged across me. If my reflexes had been slower, you could have gotten hurt, or ended up doing something that you would end up regretting. Please, just talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.” Ryan pleaded.

“I’m screwed up, just like every other member of my family. Is that what you want to hear? My mind is so fucked up that this... the way my family interacts with each other... this all seems _normal_ to me.” Hope said bitterly.

“If it’s the truth, then yeah, I want to hear it. If you’re trying to cover up the truth with something else, then, no, it’s not what I want to hear. We’ve slowly been planning a life together since I’ve been here, Hope, and how can either of us give our all into that plan if you aren’t able to tell me the truth about what you’re suffering through? How can we truly be happy if you feel like you have to keep secrets?” Ryan questioned.

“Ryan...” Hope started.

“No, Hope... the time for secrets is over, I want the truth. Because this behavior, this reaction, towards your father, it’s also the underlying cause behind our fight when I got here, isn’t it? Whatever is setting you off when you and your father are in the same room is also making you want things that you aren’t ready for.” Ryan pushed.

“I can’t tell you.” Hope muttered, staring firmly at the comforter on her bed.

“Can’t, or won’t, Hope? Because I honestly thought that we were on the same page about wanting an open and honest relationship with each other.” Ryan said.

“I _can’t_ tell you. I don’t _want_ to have to keep things secret from you, Ryan. I _want_ you to know everything about me. I have _wanted_ to tell you everything about me from the beginning. But I really _can’t_. Me keeping secrets is to keep _you_ safe...” Hope said, lifting her gaze to meet his. “If I tell you the whole truth, it could lead to you getting hurt. You’re _human_ , Ryan.” She said, desperation seeping through her words for him to drop it.

“So are you, Hope. What else is there, other than human?” Ryan questioned.

“ _I’m_ not human, not entirely.” Hope replied.

“What does that _mean_ , Hope? If you aren’t human, then what are you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.”

Ryan ran his hands over his face. They were circling, and it was exhausting. He wanted to be there for Hope, to be a good boyfriend, help her through whatever was troubling her, whether it was mentally, physically or emotionally, but if she couldn’t confide in him, then how was he supposed to protect her? She’d once told him that he was her ultimate protector, but he really didn’t feel like he was at the moment.

“If you can’t be with someone who can’t be 100% honest with you, I understand.” Hope whispered.

“I told you, many times, Hope... I’m not leaving you. Just give me _something_. Something that can help me, help you.” Ryan snapped. “I’m sorry, Princess. I shouldn’t have snapped, but I’m frustrated.”

“I wish I could tell you. I really do want to.” Hope said slowly as she laid down on her side and curled up, facing him.

“Can you answer any of my questions?” Ryan asked as he mimicked her position.

“There’s a whole world of beings that aren’t specifically human, but that’s all I can say.”

“Seriously, Hope?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, Hope. That’s never been questioned.”

Hurt flashed in Hope’s eyes at Ryan’s words as she reached for his face. She couldn’t _tell_ him about the Supernatural, but maybe she could show him. Ryan eyed her carefully as she took his face in her hands before he was seeing things that shouldn’t be possible. But really got him was the image of a little girl, causing destruction- _‘a little girl setting a church on fire’_ \- with a group of people rallied behind her. That same little girl waving her hand and lifting Hayley into the air before Hayley’s neck was snapped- _‘how did Hayley survive something like that’_ \- before Hayley’s lifeless body fell to the ground. The same scene replayed but seemingly from the little girl’s perspective and Hayley running towards her yelling the one name that Ryan feared hearing: Hope.

Ryan jerked back from Hope’s touch and stared at her. She’d shown him her mental break from when she was a child. But _how_ did she show him, and _how_ did she do the things that she’d done, and ‘ _how was Hayley Marshall still alive after having her neck snapped by her own daughter years ago’_? Ryan’s mind was racing with even more questions than before, but all he could clearly think to do was pull Hope into his embrace and press his lips to hers. As he held the back of her head with one hand, Ryan trailed his other hand down to Hope’s thigh and wrapped it around his waist before rolling them over so that he hovering over Hope.

“I don’t care what you did when you were a child, or how you were able to do it. I mean, I _care_ , because I hate that you had to suffer such a horrible thing at such a young age, but that doesn’t matter now. Everything you’ve been through in your life has just made you the woman that you are today, and I happen to quite enjoy the woman you are today.” Ryan said, breaking the kiss momentarily before starting a trail of kisses along Hope’s jaw, down her neck and to her pulse point.

“Ryan... please...” Hope moaned softly as she gripped his shoulders and bucked her hips against him.

“Tell me what you need, Princess.” Ryan muttered. “What can I do to help you?”

“Kiss me.” Hope breathed out.

“I am kissing you.”

“Kiss my lips, honey.”

Ryan hummed at the request and moved his lips back to Hope’s, swiping his tongue along the seam, requesting entrance. Opening her mouth to allow him in, Hope wrapped her other leg around Ryan’s waist while running her hands up his chest, around his neck and into his hair. As their bodies and lips moved together and against each other, Ryan rubbed Hope’s sides before lightly trailing his fingertips along her ribcage and then up to the underside of her breasts. Hope needed more. Breaking the kiss briefly and lightly pushing Ryan back, Hope sat up slightly and pulled her shirt over her head. As she tossed the shirt to a random spot in her room, Hope kept her gaze on Ryan’s face as he took in the site of her in her bra.

“I get the sense that this is new, and for my benefit.” Ryan murmured as he trailed his finger along the top of the cup.

“Sort of, and definitely for your benefit. I ordered them the day we almost had sex on the tour and had them delivered the next day.” Hope replied as she lowered her legs and moved one hand down to the waistband of Ryan’s jeans.

“Is it a matching set, Princess?” Ryan asked as he popped the button open on Hope’s shorts and lowered the zipper.

“Mhm.”

“Then I think they should be equally appreciated.”

In a blink of an eye, Ryan had Hope’s shorts pulled down her legs and joining her shirt somewhere on the floor and was pulling his own shirt off, only for Hope to trail her fingers over his chest and abs, trying to commit the lines and edges to memory. His jeans were gone next and Ryan was quickly resuming their previous position of having Hope wrapped around him. But he needed to hear the noises she made. The way his name fell from her lips in a breathy moan; the way she encouraged him to do more. His lips couldn’t find purchase on her skin in one spot long enough before moving to another spot, continuously returning to her pulse point and sucking on it.

“Please Ryan… please… I need you.” Hope whimpered.

“Fuck, Princess… I need you too…so much.” Ryan replied, tracing the shell of Hope’s ear with the tip of his tongue, bucking his hips against her.

“Please…” Hope begged, cupping the bulge in Ryan’s boxers and tentatively rubbing it.

“Do you trust me, Princess?” Ryan asked as he sucked in a breath.

“More than anything.” Hope replied.

“Here’s the deal then, I’m going to go close and lock your bedroom door and then we are going to get naked. I will not take your virginity, but we are going to help each other to a release, okay?” Ryan inquired as his fingers dipped under the waistband of Hope’s panties.

“Okay.” Hope said with a nod.

After a quick kiss to Hope’s lips, Ryan climbed off of the bed to close and lock the door while Hope muttered a silencing spell around the room. They would be able to hear anyone coming towards the room, but no one in her family, not even her father- _especially_ not her father- would be able to hear what they were doing. As he returned to the bed, Ryan stepped out of his boxers and laid down next to Hope, pulling her into his embrace and capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

“What do I do?” Hope asked in a small voice when the kiss broke, glancing down at Ryan’s dick.

“You’re going to be wrapping your hand around it, but only once I’ve gotten you properly undressed.” Ryan replied, reaching around to unclasp Hope’s bra and then moving his hands down to hook his thumbs into the waistband of her panties and pulling them down her legs.

As Ryan moved back up to hover over Hope’s body, the reality of what was happening hit Hope. This wasn’t another sex dream. This was real. Everything in their sex dreams always happened quickly, and Ryan never took the time to walk her through things, because they were both so ready for sex. Here and now it was different, it was real, and it made Hope nervous. Nervous that she wouldn’t do a good job at satisfying him; nervous that, despite his reassurances that he wasn’t going to leave her, _this_ would be what made him leave; nervous that she wouldn’t like it. But Ryan was kissing her so sweetly, and was gently massaging her thighs and stomach, and he was taking his time, giving _her_ time to get used to this level of intimacy.

“You doing okay, Princess?” Ryan asked as he rolled them over so that Hope was on top of him and pulled the covers over their bodies. “We can stop whenever you want to.” He added.

“We’ve come this far, right? Might as well continue.” Hope replied.

“But do you _want_ to continue? To be perfectly honest, I could spend the rest of the day just like this. Us naked in bed, learning the feel of each other’s bodies under our fingertips. This could satisfy me for a few days until I inevitably need another fix.” Ryan admitted.

“We’ll be driving back to Mystic Falls in a few days, honey. If you think you’ll need another fix at that point, it could really end badly for us.” Hope commented while biting her lower lip in concentration, only for Ryan to lean up and suck her bottom lip between his teeth, causing Hope to moan.

“Is that a _‘you want to continue so that I don’t need a fix too soon’_ or a _‘we should put our clothes back on so I’ll have to wait to get a full fix of you’_ response?” Ryan asked.

“That’s a _‘I’d really like to just lay in bed naked with you’_ response. Whatever it ends up entailing.” Hope responded while biting her lower lip again as she trailed one hand down Ryan’s body and her fingertips lightly brushed along the underside of Ryan’s dick.

“That can be arranged, Princess.” Ryan replied as he leaned up and swiped his tongue along her lips.

Hope quickly opened her mouth to let Ryan’s tongue in, letting him guide her through the kiss and wrapping her hands around his dick. While the overall size of him was definitely proportional to his body, Hope couldn’t get her hand wrapped all the way around him and poured into the kiss.

“You’re too big. I can’t wrap my hand completely around you.” Hope muttered into the kiss.

“It’s okay, Princess. You’ve gotten your hand around most of it, and that’s enough.” Ryan said with a kiss to her forehead and a hand covering hers to guide her movements.

“Will you… will you touch me? I need you to please touch me.” Hope whispered, rubbing her thighs together.

“Of course I will. Just lay back and part your legs for me.”

Hope nodded and did as Ryan instructed, giving him a small smile as he trailed a hand down her stomach and between her legs, swirling his fingertips through her arousal. Hope moaned at the contact and reflexively squeezed her hand around his dick, causing Ryan to groan. Leaning down to capture Hope’s lips in another kiss, Ryan eased a finger into Hope’s pussy, setting an slow and easy pace for her to match with her hand. Neither of them lasted very long. The foreplay leading to this had been 2 months in the making, after all, but neither of them minded. Once they had both come down from their highs, Ryan pulled Hope into his arms and lifted her out of the bed before carrying her to the bathroom and placing her on the counter. Wetting a towel, Ryan wiped his cum from Hope’s hand and stomach before moving to get a bath running for her.

“Why can’t we take a shower to clean up?” Hope asked softly.

“I’m going to, but you need time to relax. Today, and frankly the last two months, have been stressful for you, what with worrying about your mom. So I’m drawing you a bath so you can just soak in it and then I’m going to take a shower before sitting in your room and working on something special for you.” Ryan explained.

“Oh.” Hope replied simply with a frown and ducking her head.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Princess?” Ryan asked as he moved to stand between her legs and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

“You got what you wanted and now you don’t want to be near me.” Hope muttered.

“First of all, given how close we are right now, you couldn’t be more wrong on that. But if you are that concerned about me not wanting to be with you anymore, we can take a bath together. I just didn’t want our judgement to be clouded.” Ryan said.

“So it’s not because you don’t want me anymore?” Hope questioned.

“Hope, I want you now more than ever, but we did smudge the line just now, and I don’t want us to do something that leads to us crossing it.” Ryan explained. “So what would you like to do? Both of us take a bath together, or you take a bath so that you can relax for a bit while I take a shower and work on something for you?”

“We can go with your original plan.” Hope replied with a small smile.

Ryan smirked at her before dipping his head to capture one of Hope’s nipples in his mouth and lightly sucking on it while playing with the other one. Hope’s head fell backwards as she moaned softly, her legs wrapping tightly around Ryan’s waist and her fingers running though his hair. When Ryan lightly bit Hope’s nipple before switching sides, Hope gasped, pressing her body so close to his that she could have sworn his tip slipped between her folds. But before she could determine if it had been or not, Ryan was rubbing his length against her core and Hope was moaning uncontrollably. Right as Ryan was about to cum, he forced himself to release Hope and stepped back from her.

“Wait! Don’t stop!” Hope whimpered, her lips forming a frown, her eyes watching as his cum shot out, some of it landing on her thighs and stomach, even from the distance he’d put between them.

“I had to, Princess. I was on the edge of just pushing into you and filling you up with my cum. The consequences be damned.” Ryan replied with a groan as he grabbed the towel he had used to clean Hope off and cleaned himself off, opting for using his mouth to clean Hope up, despite the circumstances.

“Finish what you started.” Hope said as she grabbed Ryan’s wrist and moved it to her pussy.

Wrapping an arm around Hope’s waist, Ryan pushed two fingers inside of her and quickly started pumping his fingers in and out, his thumb rubbing at her clit. Hope needed more. She desperately wanted Ryan’s dick moving inside her, but she knew that if she tried to get him to do that, it would be over. So she willed herself to be okay with just his fingers for now. But that didn’t stop Hope from pulling Ryan’s face to hers and sucking his bottom lip between her teeth. When she came with a moan, Ryan kissed her fully before lifting her off of the counter and carrying her over to the tub to turn off the spout and place her in the water.

“Ryan?” Hope asked slowly.

“Yes, Princess?”

“Thank you… for everything. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, Princess. That’s what I’m here for. To make you feel better, no matter how that ends up being.”

Hope hummed as she pulled Ryan in for a quick kiss before settling down into the water and letting him go so that he could take his shower. A comfortable silence fell between them, and when Ryan finished his shower and headed back into the bedroom, he stopped and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Klaus gripped the steering wheel as he looked up at the unassuming house in front of him and Freya. He didn’t like the fact that he left his (very much underage) daughter home alone with a human boy who was definitely interested in being more than friends with her, but he couldn’t allow Hope to be present for what could potentially happen. She wanted to allow her werewolf side to be bound, even before getting a chance to experience the sensation of running wild, and he was not going to let what happened to him happen to his beloved princess. So he brought his sister instead. The had told him everything that Klaus needed to know about where they were going, and what they could possibly be up against if their adversaries happened to show up. What Klaus hated even more than having left Hope home alone with the human was the fact that his enemies had gone after Hope’s mother. While he was not in love with Hayley, he did love her, and she was as much apart of his family as any of the others and he would be damned if he didn’t return Hayley home to Hope.

As brother and sister got out of the car, the agonizing cry of someone being tortured tang out from the house and Klaus was inside in a moment, rushing directly to Hayley’s side. Something that clearly was mistake as he was given an aneurysm that brought him to his knees. Even through the pain, Klaus glanced up at Hayley and met her gaze. All he saw in her expression was fear. Fear for him. Fear for their daughter. But not an ounce of fear for herself. Klaus had always known she was a fighter and a warrior. When the pain stopped, Klaus took in more of Hayley’s appearance. Her shoulder was caked with mostly dried blood from where her birthmark had been skinned from her body, lack of blood to satisfy her vampire side and being held hostage for 2 months evidently slowing her healing ability to that of a regular human. Then he noticed the burn blister on her forehead. They’d already bound her werewolf side. Hayley was simply a Vampire now. A Vampire who didn’t have a Daylight Ring because she’d never needed one before. This was not going to end well.

“Klaus... no! Why did you give in?” Hayley cried.

“I came to deliver my daughter’s mother back to her.” Klaus replied.

“She’s not here, is she?” Hayley asked.

“What kind of father would I be if I brought our daughter to see you like this? To allow these people to take something away from her that she’s never experienced before.”

“You are a fool, Klaus Mikaelson. And for you inability to follow demands, your daughter will suffer the consequences. Binding the abomination that is her werewolf side is not enough. She will perish along with the two of you.”

“And your insolence betrays you. We might have crossed paths before, and I undoubtedly killed your husband, but I offered mercy to you and your children. Now your daughter is bedding my brother and your son is trying to ensnare my daughter. I have to say, your daughter faired better than your son ever will. As it is, your son is chained up in my basement, only to be released upon Hayley’s return.” Klaus said with a sneer.

“Do you know what your child did? She turned a werewolf into a hybrid. And that hybrid went and killed one of the Vampires.”

“Greta, I’ve told you this repeatedly, Hope didn’t turn Henry. She had nothing to do with it. She didn’t even know what he had done until after the fact. Whatever information your son has been feeding you from the school has been wrong and based solely on speculation.” Hayley growled.

“My son knows how to get information, and how to get the correct information. He would not deceive me.” Greta spat out.

“You are delusional! In what way do you figure werewolves are the lesser beings? They’ve been around since before my family was turned into Vampires and the bite of a werewolf is deadly to a vampire.” Klaus said with a roll of his eyes.

“Precisely. Why would we want vermin around that could kill us with a single bite? All of you must be eradicated!” Greta snarled before lunging at Klaus who easily moved out of the way.

“You pathetic woman. Do you really think you stand a chance in a fight against me. I’m older, I’m faster, I’m deadly. You. Will. Lose.” Klaus commented with a small chuckle.

“You think you’re the only Original here? As you said, my daughter has been bedding your brother. And we know he had his memories compelled away. He holds no connection to you anymore. His loyalty is with us.” Greta taunted.

“I only see the three of us in the room.” Klaus replied with a smirk.

“You should really learn to be more aware of your surroundings Klaus.”

Klaus whirled around at the sound of his brother’s voice, watching closely as Elijah strode into the room. He felt Hayley move in the chair next to him at the sight of Elijah, but her one time lover paid her no mind, keeping his unloving gaze on Klaus. Placing a hand on Hayley’s shoulder, Klaus gave it a light squeeze. This wasn’t the same man that they loved. This man shared Elijah’s face, but that was it. It also was extremely unsettling for Klaus to hear his brother call him anything other than his given name. He needed a strategy here, and strategy was never his strong suit. That was always Elijah. And if he ever needed his brother, now was it, but without his memories of their family, their oath, their _promise_ , Elijah was essentially being brainwashed by the delusional woman who had abducted and abused Hayley. Elijah would be of no help to them now. So Klaus made a choice… he went after Greta, only to be taken down by Elijah. Hayley cried out and managed to get free, right as another woman walked in, and started to make a beeline for Elijah. Hayley cut her off and managed to snap the woman’s neck, setting Greta off.

Greta sped towards Hayley and pinned her to the wall by the door with an ugly smirk. Hayley glanced at where Elijah was just barely managing to subdue Klaus. Then she thought of Hope and Hayley knew what she had to do. If she and Klaus both walked out of here, these people would go after Hope. They would continue to come for all of them, until they got what they wanted. Grasping Greta’s hand, Hayley tore the finger that had Greta’s Daylight Ring off and flung them both outside. Klaus managed to get away from Elijah just as Hayley and Greta’s bodies caught on fire.

“NO!” Klaus exclaimed as Freya came running around the house.

“Klaus? What’s wrong? Where’s…?” Freya’s question was cut off when she saw the fire. She knew exactly where Hayley was.

“You will pay for what you’ve done to my family.” Elijah’s voice carried firmly to both of his siblings and Freya gave him a sad look as Klaus glared.

“ _We_ are your family Elijah. You know that, you just don’t have the memories to support the knowledge. But make no mistake, _Brother_ , you will pay for allowing Hayley to die.” Klaus growled before turning to Freya. “Get both of them into the car, Sister, by whatever means necessary. I have to make a call.” He said.

“Don’t you dare tell your daughter that her mother is dead over the phone. You will tell her in person.” Freya said adamantly. “If you need to call anyone, call our siblings, let them know what happened. But do not break this news to Hope via a phone call.”

With a nod, Klaus walked away while pulling out his phone. He called Kol first.

“ **Yes, Brother, what is it?** ” Kol asked.

“Hayley’s gone.” Klaus replied simply.

“ **The search has yielded no results?** ” Kol questioned.

“We finally got a lead this morning. A boy that attends the Salvatore School with Hope. His mother was behind Hayley’s abduction. She wanted revenge on me for killing her husband years ago, and she wanted to eradicate werewolves. But Hayley. Is. Gone.” Klaus explained, stressing the last three words.

“ **I’ll be on a plane back to New Orleans as soon as possible.** ” Kol said.

“No… we all still have parts of the Hollow in us. Being around each other will put Hope in danger.” Klaus argued.

“ **Then we find another vessel to put the Hollow in and send it away. Hope needs her family right now. All of us.** ” Kol insisted.

“I haven’t told her yet. Hayley just died and Freya insists that I tell Hope in person. But suggested I call you and Rebekah to let you both know.” Klaus said.

“ **Hold on, Nik, I’m getting another call… from Bekah.** ” Kol commented.

“Add her to the call, I’ll tell her now.”

“ **Kol, where are you and Davina right now? Marcel and I are thinking of taking a vacation, but we don’t want to get too close to you and Davina.** ” Rebekah inquired.

“ **Now is not the time for a vacation anywhere, Sister. Nik has something he needs to tell you.** ” Kol replied.

“ **What is it Nik?** ” Rebekah asked.

“Hayley is dead. A woman who’s husband I killed years ago wanted to get revenge and she was behind Hayley’s abduction. Freya suggested I call you and Kol.”

The line went silent for a few moments after that, and Klaus waited as patiently as he could for one of his siblings to say something. He should have known what was coming next, but even if he did, it made him a bit angry.

“ **I’ll be on the first flight down.** ” Rebekah replied firmly.

“Absolutely not, Rebekah. I will not endanger Hope’s life with this again. We need more time to find a way to destroy the Hollow, and then we need to destroy each part separately. It’s already bad enough that Elijah and I are in the same place right, and that I’ve been in New Orleans for the past two months to look for Hayley and keep an eye on my daughter and her _friend_ , I will not allow the two of you to come down. Stay with Davina and Marcel wherever you’re at, but do not come back home.” Klaus instructed.

“ **You can’t tell us what to do, Nik. We want to be there for our niece. So we’re coming home.** ” Kol said and Klaus heard a click.

“ **Kol’s right, Nik. Hope needs her family. It’s dangerous, but we need to be there for her.** ” Rebekah added before ending the call as well.

“Bloody fools.” Klaus muttered as he made his way to the car where Freya had managed to get both Elijah and the unknown woman into the backseat.

“What did they say?” Freya asked.

“Our baby siblings are returning home. I’d suggest you and Vincent find a way to destroy the Hollow once and for all before they arrive in New Orleans.” Klaus replied. “My daughter’s life depends on it.”

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Ryan had been right. Taking a bath had done wonders for how she was feeling. And being curled up next to him in bed, skin to skin, it was the best feeling in the world, especially with the gentle caresses that he was running across her body. And while Ryan was letting his hands roam along her back and stomach, Hope was peppering his chest with kisses. They had blurred and smudged the line today of not having sex before she turned 18, but since there was no risk in her getting pregnant in what they had done, Hope felt amazing about it. She just hoped Ryan was beating himself up over it.

“You’re staring, Princess.” Ryan commented as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Just trying to gauge how you’re feeling about what we did today.” Hope replied, scooting up in his embrace to trail kisses along his jaw and neck.

“We probably shouldn’t have even done what we did, but I wouldn’t change it. And I quite enjoy having you naked in my arms.” Ryan said, pulling her on top of him.

“Do you enjoy it enough to do it again some time once we’re home?” Hope asked.

“While the idea is intriguing, we need to keep days like today to a minimum. I came very close to taking your virginity today, closer than we’ve ever come in the last two months, and I wasn’t wearing a condom. If just pleasuring you’re can get us into that situation, I don’t want to risk it happening again, and us not being able to stop it.” Ryan said, causing Hope to pout.

“I figured you would say that. So I guess we’ll just have to do this…” Hope trailed off while grabbing her phone and opening the camera.

“Hope, don’t.” Ryan warned.

“Relax, honey.” Hope said as she rolled back to his side and adjusted the camera. “I just want a picture of us kissing.”

“That I can do.”

After getting the picture, Hope smiled and sent it to Ryan before resting her chin on his chest and holding his gaze. Pulling her up his body, Ryan wrapped his arms firmly around Hope’s waist and captured her lips in a soft kiss. Hope couldn’t help the moan that escaped into Ryan’s mouth as she shifted to get comfortable and ended up straddling his waist. She could feel his dick hardening against her thigh and she lightly rubbed against him, causing him to break the kiss with a groan.

“I’m sorry… I…” Hope trailed off when she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“It’s not your fault, Princess. I shouldn’t have allowed to stay like this for as long as we have. We should get dressed.” Ryan replied, shifting Hope off of him and sitting up.

Sitting up herself, Hope held the sheet to her chest as she watched Ryan father his clothes and get dressed. Once he was fully dressed again, Ryan picked up Hope’s clothes and tossed them in her hamper before grabbing new ones from her dresser. Despite the somber feeling that the moment had taken, she marveled at how at ease Ryan was in moving about her bedroom. She got a flash of what life would be like when they were finally able to live together and tears sprung to her eyes. There was still 32 more months before she turned 18, and it felt like an eternity. By the time Ryan returned to the bed with her new clothes, tears were trailing down Hope’s cheeks and Ryan was quickly wiping them away with his thumbs.

“What’s wrong Princess?” Ryan asked, gently taking the sheet from her hands and starting to dress her.

“32 months. That’s how long we have to wait to truly experience living together in some semblance of what we’ve had for the last 2 months. 32 months. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait that long to be able to live with you.” Hope replied as more tears flooded her eyes.

“We’ll get through it, Princess, I promise. We leave in a few days, and we’ll still have a week before you have to start school in which you get to help me set up my new apartment. And while it was never mentioned, I’m sure your aunt is well aware of the fact that you won’t be able to stay on campus before school starts.” Ryan said as he abandoned getting her dressed in favor of wiping as many tears away as he could.

“And all of your stuff from storage is already at the apartment?” Hope asked with a little hiccup.

“It is. Jake and Scott brought everything over. We’ll stop by the bookstore on our way in so that I can get the keys from Jake, and then it’ll be just you and me for the rest of the week.” Ryan replied.

“And you still don’t want to spend the day naked in bed with me at all?” Hope inquired.

“I _want_ to spend all day, every day naked in bed with you, but we can’t. One because it’s not realistic with you being at school and me having work, but on occasion, we can. As long as those occasions are few and far between. Just to be safe.” Ryan said before pushing Hope down on the bed and leaning in to press a kiss to her chest, between her breasts.

Hope shifted beneath him and wrapped her legs around Ryan’s neck, pulling him up for a kiss. Before things could get too far, however, there was a loud crash from downstairs and they quickly pulled apart. Hope hurried to finish getting dressed before they rushed down to the courtyard.

“What the hell is going on?” Hope asked.

“Hope, stay back.” Klaus instructed as he grabbed Elijah’s shoulders when his brother went for Hope, tossing him across the room.

Ryan instantly wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist and pulled her back from the commotion. Neither of them knew what was going on, and until they got an answer from her father or her aunt, Ryan wasn’t going to risk her getting in harms way. He was, however, surprised at how easily Klaus was able to throw the other man across the room. Although chalking it up to adrenaline at the possibility of his daughter getting hurt seemed as good a reason as any. Hope, however, was trembling. She hadn’t seen her uncle in 7 years, and when he’d made a move to grab her, he held no recollection of her in his eyes. She knew he’d had his memories of the family compelled away by Vincent and Marcel, but knowing and realizing something were two very different things. The man who had inspired her name had no idea who she was.

“Dad! What happened? Why is Uncle Elijah here?” Hope questioned, imploring her father with her tear filled eyes to answer her.

“I’ll explain everything soon. Go back up to your room and I’ll be there once we’ve subdued him.” Klaus replied.

“No, Dad, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” Hope argued.

“Freya, please do something.” Klaus pleaded.

Freya looked between Klaus and Hope, and then to Ryan before glancing back at Hope. The only thing Freya could do right now was to use magic, but she didn’t want to do that in front of Ryan. As luck would have it, someone came into the Compound and Hope let out a sigh of relief. Josh. Josh would be a perfect distraction. Turning around in Ryan’s embrace, Hope glanced up at him and gave him a small smile.

“I need a few minutes alone with my family. But I’d like for you to meet Josh. He’s a family friend.” Hope said quickly.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you, Hope, you know that.” Ryan replied.

“I know, but we’ve been cooped up inside since you got here and we haven’t had a chance to show you around New Orleans. While I talk to my family, Josh can show you around.” Hope explained.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay without me? Your… _uncle_ … doesn’t seem to like you much.” Ryan inquired, eyeing Elijah.

“I’ll be fine, I promise. Just go with Josh, and I’ll come find you after I talk to my family.” Hope replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek before he nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

With that done, Hope motioned Josh over and made a quick introduction and then Ryan was off with Josh. Once they were out of the house, Hope rounded on her family.

“What the hell is going on?” She asked again.

“Hope, Sweetheart, there’s something that I need to tell you, and it’s not going to be easy, but I need you to hear me out.” Klaus said slowly as Freya knocked Elijah out.

“Just tell me.” Hope replied, already fearing the worst.

“I found your mother, but I couldn’t save her. Your classmate’s sister, that woman right there, weaseled her way into Elijah’s life after Marcellus compelled his memories away. When I tried to save your mother, Elijah stopped me, because his current loyalty is to that woman and her family. Sweetheart, your mother sacrificed herself so that those people wouldn’t be able to get to you.” Klaus explained.

“Mom’s dead?” Hope asked in disbelief.

“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. But by the time I’d gotten there, they’d already bound her werewolf side. She was just a Vampire without a Daylight Ring. When she saw that she had no other option, she ripped the finger with the Daylight Ring off of your classmate’s mother and flung them both out into the sun.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no. Mom can’t be dead… she just can’t! I never got to apologize for all the horrible things I said to her! You’re lying! She’s not dead!” Hope cried as she fell to her knees, suddenly wishing she hadn’t sent Ryan off with Josh.

“Listen to me, Sweetheart. Your mother did what she had to do to keep you safe. And knowing her, she forgave you the second you said whatever it was that you said. Do not let your guilt get the better of you.” Klaus said while crouching down to her level.

Through her sobs, Hope started coughing uncontrollably. Klaus went to reach for her, but thought better of it at the last second. If he touched her, there’s no telling what the Hollow could do. When a snake fell from Hope’s mouth, Klaus recoiled completely, staggering back from his daughter.

“Klaus, Take Elijah and get out of here. This is too much for her.” Freya said as she moved forward to her niece’s side, helping Hope up from the floor. “And find Ryan.” She added.

“No! No! No! He can’t… he can’t see this.” Hope pleaded as hot tears fell down her cheeks.

“Listen to me, Hope. Ryan is your safe place. You need him here.” Freya argued.

“No, please!” Hope cried as she started coughing again.

“Damn it Klaus! Get Elijah and leave!” Freya exclaimed. “Hope, listen to me. Think about Ryan. Think about how he makes you feel. How much he cares about you. Think about everything that he has done to keep you safe.” She said calmly, glancing over her shoulder when she heard the distinct sound of a Vampire speeding away. “Deep breaths, Sweetie. Just focus on taking deep breaths and keep your thoughts on Ryan.”

For the next several minutes, Freya had Hope sitting at the foot of the stairs, gently rubbing Hope’s back to get her to calm down. It wasn’t until Ryan and Josh ran in that Hope was even remotely able to calm down.

“What happened? I thought everything was going to be okay!” Ryan exclaimed, glancing up at Freya from where he was kneeling in front of Hope, pulling her into his embrace.

“Ryan… Hayley’s dead. We tried to save her, but there was a fire… we were too late.” Freya said.

“We’ll need to hold a funeral for her.” Josh commented.

“Ryan, can you bring Hope upstairs please? I need to talk to Josh.” Freya requested and Ryan nodded, slipping one arm under Hope’s knees and the other around her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What _really_ happened?” Josh asked in a urgent whisper.

“Greta Sienna was behind the entire thing. Hayley’s abduction, her death. All to get back at Klaus for killing her husband years ago. She was trying to eradicate werewolves and hybrids.” Freya explained.

“And the fire?” Josh asked.

“Hayley’s werewolf side was bound. She was a Vampire without a Daylight Ring. She ended up tearing Greta’s finger off that had her Daylight Ring before Hayley flung both of their bodies out into the sun.”

“And Hope?”

“Both Klaus and Elijah were here. Hope had a reaction to the Hollow that resides in them.”

“God, Freya… this isn’t good. We need to get your siblings out of New Orleans before anything else happens.”

“Kol and Rebekah both insist on flying here to be with Hope. If we can find a way to put the Hollow into another vessel, then everything will be fine.”

“Wouldn’t Vincent have found something 7 years ago if there was such a vessel that existed?”

“We were pressed for time then. The Hollow was close to taking over Hope completely.”

“I don’t like this, Freya. I really don’t. But I’m willing to do whatever you need me to do to help protect Hope. And I’m sure Aiden will agree with me.”

“Thank you Josh.”

With a nod and a quick hug, Josh headed out and Freya let out a sigh. She had a crazy idea of what they could do to make things better, but she couldn’t do anything about if without talking to Hope first, or even until Kol and Rebekah got into town. It was time that the Hollow was taken out of her siblings forever.


	11. Piecing Life Back Together, Part 1

Hope cried herself to sleep that night, clinging tightly to Ryan. He honestly didn’t blame her. She had lost her mother and hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye. While he couldn’t say that he would be distraught over Seylah dying, he had to admit that he would at least miss her to some extent. She’d adopted him as a baby, so she was the only mother he had known. And Ryan wasn’t some heartless monster. But while Hope clung tightly to him throughout the night, Ryan stayed awake, watching over her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head every time she woke up screaming for Hayley before she ultimately cried herself back to sleep. However it wasn’t just to keep an eye on Hope as she slept that kept Ryan awake. It was also the fact that, while Klaus and Freya had left to go try to save Hayley, he and Hope had spent the majority of the day naked in bed. True, they hadn’t had sex, but was it truly fair that they got to be happy only for it to come crashing down with the news that Hayley was gone and that the last words Hope had spoken to her mother had been 2 months ago and said in anger? He didn’t think it was, but there was nothing that could be done now.

Hayley’s death did change their plans, however. Ryan wasn’t sure how long it would take to plan a funeral, but he could only assume that it would be tight to get Hope back to school on time. But no matter how long it took, he was staying put. There was no way in hell he was leaving his girlfriend alone right after losing her mother. If the response to his presence was her calming down after finding out what happened then Hope needed him now more than ever. But when Hope started thrashing about in her sleep, it was all Ryan could do to whisper reassurances in her ear as he held her in his arms. This time, however, she cried herself awake.

“Ryan?”

“I’m here, Princess. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Ryan replied softly as he brushed some of Hope’s hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Please don’t ever leave me.” Hope muttered as she pressed impossibly closer to his side.

“Never.” Ryan promised.

Pulling the covers up from where Hope had kicked them away, Ryan wrapped them and his arms around Hope’s body, trying to calm, or at least lessen, the shaking. It worked for a couple of minutes before Hope squirmed slightly and tossed one of her legs over one of his and nuzzled her cheek against his chest in an effort to get more comfortable. When she moved again, Ryan simply pulled her fully on top of him and rested her head under his chin. Hope let out a soft sigh as Ryan wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Morning came much too soon for Hope and with it came two things: the sinking feeling at knowing that she was never going to see her mother again, and Ryan’s erection pressing against her thigh. Even though it really shouldn’t have surprised her that having her sleeping on top of him had made him aroused, she was, in fact surprised. Her mother had just died the day before. Was sex really on his mind right now? As Hope moved to slide off of Ryan, his hold on her tightened slightly and he rolled them over. Hope looked up into Ryan’s eyes and what she saw there had tears springing to her own eyes. All she saw was concern for her, and it warmed her heart. As Ryan brushed some of Hope’s hair out of her eyes, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before wiping her tears away.

“If you need to cry, Princess, cry. Don’t be afraid of not wanting me to see you cry. I’d rather you cried instead of try and pretend like you’re okay when you’re definitely not. I’m here for you, no matter what.” Ryan said.

“What am I supposed to do now? My mom is dead, and the last things I said to her were horrible.” Hope questioned, her bottom lip trembling as she wrapped her arms around Ryan’s waist and held onto him.

“You take it one day at a time. Don’t keep your emotions bottled up. And just do what makes you happy. From what I know of your mom, all she would want is for you to be happy.” Ryan replied.

“You make me happy.” Hope mumbled into his chest.

“You make me happy, too, Hope. But we can’t do each other until you’re 18.” Ryan said with a smirk.

“I don’t… I don’t know if I can do this, Ryan. I don’t think I can plan my mom’s funeral. I’m only 15.”

“You won’t be doing it alone, Princess. I’ll be by your side the entire time, and I’m sure Freya will as well. You never have to go through anything alone. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you, Ryan. That really means a lot to me.”

Moving her arms up and around Ryan’s neck, Hope pulled him down for a kiss and carefully wrapped her legs around his waist. Ryan steadied her hips with his hands before rubbing her sides slowly. Hope let out a soft moan as Ryan’s thumbs ran across the sides of her breasts, but the moan quickly turned into a whimper, and the whimper turned to a sob, and then Ryan was breaking the kiss to simply hold Hope as she cried. An hour of sitting in Hope’s bed, with her on his lap, gently rocking her and rubbing her back had passed before Freya came to the door and stuck her head into the room. Hope had cried herself back to sleep once again, aided by Ryan rocking her and Freya looked over her niece with a frown.

“Has she gotten any real sleep?” Freya asked softly.

“She got in a few hours. But only once I had her lay on top of me. Other than that it was sporadic. Each time crying herself to sleep, only to wake up a little bit later screaming for Hayley, which circles back to crying herself to sleep. Does Vincent have any herbal remedies that could help her sleep?” Ryan questioned.

“I don’t know. But I’ll ask. When she wakes up again, please let her know that I need to talk to her about something.” Freya requested.

“If it’s about the funeral arrangements, I promised her that I would be there with her so that she wouldn’t feel alone.” Ryan said.

“When we talk about the arrangements, I’ll make sure we wait to start until you’re there. What I need to talk to her about, it’s a family thing, and while I can easily tell that the two of you are close enough that she considers you a part of her family, it’s something that I need to discuss with her in private. Josh has offered to continue showing you around The Quarter since that was cut so short last night.” Freya explained.

“Okay, I’ll let her know.” Ryan said with a nod.

Shortly after Freya made her leave, Hope stirred in Ryan’s arms and he shifted to get a better look at her face. As she slowly opened her eyes, Hope gripped Ryan’s shirt and lurched forward. Ryan managed to catch her before she fell out of bed, but Hope scrambled out of his arms and rushed to the bathroom, upheaving what little she had in her stomach from not having eaten since getting sick the previous morning after hearing what Roman had to say. By the time Ryan got to her side, Hope had her knees pulled up her her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and she was rocking back and forth.

“What can I do, Princess? Tell me what I can do to help and I’ll do it.” Ryan pleaded. He didn’t like not being able to help her. Or at least not knowing what to do to help.

“I want my mom.” Hope sobbed. “She’s dead and I feel like it’s my fault, and all I want is for her to hold me and tell me everything’s okay. But that’s never going to happen because she’s dead.”

Ryan was at a loss. The only thing he could think of was to pull her to his side and hold her. He knew it wasn’t the same as what she wanted, but it was all he had to give in the moment. Hope at least allowed him to hold her. She even buried her face in his neck and shoulder, but her sobs didn’t quiet down. In fact they only got worse when there was a commotion outside her bedroom door and someone burst into the room. Hope lifted her head long enough to see who had come in, only to scramble as far away from the new comer as possible.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Hope cried as her sobs turned to violent coughing.

“Kol! Get away from her!” Freya exclaimed, but he ignored her, instead focusing on Ryan.

“Who the bloody heal are you?” Kol asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Ryan replied as he stood up, leveling Kol with a hard gaze.

“I’m her uncle.” Kol replied with a snarl.

“Then shouldn’t your continued first priority be to make sure she’s okay?” Ryan asked before he turned and closed the distance between him and Hope, rubbing her back to quell her coughing.

“Kol, I’m serious, get. The. Hell. Away. From. Hope.” Freya stressed, and Kol finally settled his gaze on his niece.

Kol watched Hope and Ryan for a moment before leaving the room. The fact that Hope’s coughing quickly subsided as her uncle left had Ryan perplexed, but he didn’t comment on it, he was just happy that the coughing had returned to being sobs, and that overall, the sobs had lessened to the point where Hope was asleep again. Lifting Hope into his arms, Ryan carried her back to bed and tucked her in. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Ryan made his way to his own room and grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower before making his way back to Hope’s room, only to be stopped by Vincent.

“Freya called in regard to you inquiring about any herbal remedies I might have for helping Hope sleep.” Vincent commented.

“Yeah. It’s mostly just been small increments at a time that she slept last night and this morning. And I’m worried that not getting enough sleep, and with as violently as her reactions to her family showing back up again have been, that it might cause another mental break.” Ryan explained.

“What kind of violent reactions?” Vincent asked.

“I don’t know about last night when she found out about Hayley, but just a little bit ago when her uncle, Kol, I think, barged into her room, she started coughing really bad, like something was trying to come up her throat. Freya got him to leave before Hope got sick… again.”

“She got sick?”

“Yeah. Yesterday morning when she found out what had been happening to Hayley, and then again right before Kol showed up.”

“You two haven’t…”

“God, no! I made a promise to Hayley that we would wait until Hope is 18.”

“What about you, son? Have you gotten any sleep?”

“Not really. But I’m more concerned about making sure Hope is okay.”

Vincent raised an eyebrow at that and Ryan let out a sigh. He knew it was foolish to run himself ragged trying to ensure Hope was okay, but he tried to push that thought to the back of his mind and ignore it. But the look Vincent was giving him had Ryan realizing that it would do him or Hope any good if he didn’t get some sleep himself.

“Take this, and go get some sleep, Freya is in with Hope now, having gotten Kol and Elijah elsewhere, so we’ll get that girl feeling as good as she can, given the circumstances.” Vincent said, handing Ryan a small bundle of herbs.

“I don’t want to be away from her. If she wakes up and I’m not there, she’ll think I left her, and I promised her I wouldn’t do that.” Ryan replied.

“You know that you are no good to her if you’re worn out yourself. Get some sleep; Freya and I will take care of Hope.” Vincent insisted.

“Thank you, Vincent.” Ryan said with a small nod. “Can I… can I see her real quick?”

With a shrug, Vincent stepped aside and Ryan made his way into Hope’s room. Freya was sitting next to Hope, brushing strands of auburn hair out of her niece’s face as Hope slept, her face scrunched up in what Ryan could only describe as agony. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ryan leaned down and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead, which softened her features, and went to get up before Hope’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

“You promised.” Hope whispered, her usually bright blue eyes red from crying.

“I know I did, but to continue to ensure you’re okay, I need some sleep too. Freya and Vincent are going to look after you for a little bit. But I won’t be far away. I’ll be in the room right next door.” Ryan said as he cupped her jaw and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

“If you need him, Hope, Vincent or I will go get him, but you both need sleep.” Freya commented, her voice soft and comforting.

Hope whimpered slightly, her eyes darting between Ryan and Freya. Both of them were giving her imploring looks, so after wrapping her arms around herself she gave a short, stiff nod and curled up into a ball under the covers. Ryan leaned down and pressed another kiss to her forehead before leaving the room. When he got back to his room, he found a glass of water on the nightstand with a note. Reading over the words Ryan did as instructed and laid down. Staring up the ceiling, Ryan ran his hands over his face and sighed. He knew that getting involved with a 15 year old would bring its challenges, but he never considered one of those challenges to be how he was going to help her through the death of her mom. There was no guidebook for any of this. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would do whatever he could, and whatever Hope needed him to do, to help her through this. He’d made a promise to himself and to Freya that he would be there for Hope no matter what, and it was a promise that he intended to keep. A promise just as important to him to keep as the one he’d made to Hayley about waiting until Hope was 18 before they had sex. The last thought on Ryan’s mind before he drifted off to sleep was the little family that he and Hope would have in the future.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

As soon as Vincent saw Ryan’s door close most of the way, he closed Hope’s door and turned to Freya. The blonde witch was laying down behind Hope, rubbing Hope’s arm as Hope cried silently. Freya met Vincent’s gaze and let out a sigh.

“We need to do something Vincent. Her reactions to my siblings coming back is only getting worse. I barely managed to get Kol out of the room before she coughed up another snake. Last night we lucked out because Josh had just left to show Ryan around, but today, if I hadn’t gotten Kol out of here, she would have coughed up a snake in front of Ryan. How would we explain that to him? He’s completely human.” Freya said.

“What needs to happen is you need your siblings subdued and we need to extract the Hollow from them. Put it somewhere else” Vincent replied.

“We don’t have time to find 4 different objects to put the four pieces into and then find places far away from each other to dispose of them. Rebekah could be here any moment, and she’ll want to see Hope immediately.” Freya argued.

“Then cut her off. Get to her before she can get to Hope.” Vincent said. “Put her with Elijah and Kol. And then do the same to Klaus. Keep them unconscious until we find a solution.”

“I’m the solution.” Hope muttered.

“Absolutely not. The Hollow nearly destroyed you before. We are not putting her power back inside you.” Freya denied quickly.

“I’m stronger now, Aunt Freya. I can fight her better now. When Auntie Bex gets here, knock her and Dad out, put them with Elijah and Kol in a Chambre de Chasse and then put the Hollow back in me.” Hope said adamantly as she sat up. “It’s the only way.”

“We’ll have to set up items that represent what each of them mean to you, if you’re to perform the spell, or else it won’t work.” Vincent commented.

“We aren’t doing this, Vincent! The last time they were in a Chambre de Chasse was when Elijah and Kol were both on the verge of dying from Marcel’s bite, Rebekah was hexed and I was poisoned. I’m not putting my siblings back inside one of those places.” Freya argued.

“Aunt Freya, please! The family has been broken up enough because of me, please let me do this. I _need_ to do this, and I need your help to do it.” Hope begged.

“You aren’t thinking clearly, Hope. You’re distraught over your mother, and for good reason. I will not allow you to make any rash decisions in this state.” Freya said.

“I need to do _something_ , Aunt Freya. I don’t want to be the pathetic little girl that only cries on the shoulder of the guy she likes. I can’t do that to Ryan.”

“You don’t have to be strong all the time, Hope. Ryan knows you’re suffering right now, and he doesn’t expect you to keep it together.” Vincent said. “That boy cares about you so much and so deeply that he isn’t even questioning the Supernatural things that we haven’t been able to control. He’s not going to be turned away if you need to cry on his shoulder. I’ll bet you anything that he _wants_ you to cry on his shoulder.”

“But I...” Hope trailed off.

“No buts, Hope. Vincent is right. Ryan hasn’t flinched once when it came to being by your side when you need him. He even made sure things were covered at work for him to come down here to be with you.” Freya confirmed with a nod. “Don’t ever act like you aren’t hurting, especially not with him. It’ll only alienate you from each other, and that’s not healthy.”

“I showed him what happened.” Hope whispered.

“You _showed_ him... showed him what?” Freya asked, her face hardening.

“I showed him my ‘mental break’.” Hope explained. “He knew I was keeping things secret. I had to show him something. So I showed him what I did when the Hollow was in control.”

“And what did he do with that?” Vincent asked.

“He pulled me close and he...” Hope stopped suddenly as the memory of _all_ that she and Ryan did the day before came back to her. “He held me.” She finished instead.

“Is that all he did?” Freya asked, her eyes narrowing at her niece.

“Yep.” Hope replied quickly.

“Uh huh.” Freya said, clearly not believing Hope in the least.

“That’s not what’s important right now, Aunt Freya. What’s important is that I save our family. I know that I can handle taking the Hollow back from Dad and the others. I just need you to help with the Chambre de Chasse. Please, Aunt Freya.” Hope pleaded.

“Don’t make her take this outside the family, Freya.” Vincent said.

“Fine. Figure out what you want to represent each of them, and I’ll get started. We need to be ready for when Rebekah arrives. And we need to figure out a way to get Klaus back here to knock him out too. It won’t work if they aren’t all together.” Freya said with a sigh.

“Keys. I want there to be keys for each of them, and a door that will only open once all the keys are found. And we’ll need one for Marcel as well. There’s no way that he won’t come back with Rebekah, and he won’t let us go through with this if he isn’t sent in too.” Hope said.

“And the representations?” Freya asked.

“Letters from Mom to Dad that were returned, unopened. The necklace that Aunt Rebekah gave me, but make sure it’s somewhere safe and hidden. For Uncle Kol, his should be in Act 1, Scene 3 of As You Like It.” Hope explained.

“And Elijah?” Freya asked, almost worried.

“His coffin. In the basement. Full of snakes.” Hope bit out.

“Hope...” Freya said slowly.

“He turned his back on our family, and because of that betrayal, my mom is dead. So he’s dead to me.”

Freya nodded and stood up from the bed. She had a lot of work ahead of her, and no way of determining for sure when Rebekah would be arriving. Before Freya could leave the room, Vincent stopped her.

“We can’t let them know that the connection is to Hope. We need to divert their suspicion to me to give us time to extract the Hollow from them and put it into Hope. Then we need to get her out of New Orleans.” Vincent said.

“I’m not leaving before my mom’s funeral.” Hope said adamantly. “Knock them out, extract the Hollow from them and put it in me, and then once we have mom’s funeral, Ryan and I will leave immediately after to head back to Mystic Falls. Wake them up after we’re gone.” She said.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Vincent asked.

“Over the past 2 months, if I wasn’t focused on Ryan, I could feel the Hollow creeping back in. I think that if I take her power back, and I keep my focus on him, I’ll be okay. She can’t get to the place in my mind that he occupies.” Hope replied. “It’s a risk, but it’s one that I’m willing to take if it means that the rest of the family can be together.”

“Wasn’t the fight that you and Ryan had when he first got here rooted in how the Hollow was making you act and react to things?” Freya asked.

“Yes, but it got better.” Hope insisted.

“I don’t think it did, Hope. And it won’t get better if you take the Hollow back and then are alone with Ryan, in a car, for 14 hours.” Freya argued.

“The longer we stand around arguing about this, the less time we have to prepare.” Hope stressed. “I’ve made up my mind, and I won’t be changing it. If this all ends up being a mistake, then it’s one that I need to make and learn from but let me make it.”

Freya and Vincent shared a look before both of them nodded. After Freya left the room, Vincent turned to Hope and handed her a bundle of herbs. He instructed her to put a pinch into a glass of water and then to get some sleep. With a nod of her own, waited for Vincent to leave and get downstairs before slipping out of her room and slipping into Ryan’s room. Taking the glass that was sitting on his nightstand, Hope moved to the bathroom and filled it with some more water and put some of the herbs into it, taking a big gulp and then going to climb into bed with Ryan, curling up against his side and using his chest as a pillow. She was out in seconds.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Sounds reached her mind slowly, too slowly to comprehend. All she knew for sure was that her pillow was moving and that she slept well. Or at least well enough. She just didn’t know how long she’d slept for. But she didn’t have time to dwell on that mystery because light pressure was being applied to the top of her head in the form of a kiss and familiar fingers were running up and down her upper arm and across her shoulder. Slowly opening her eyes, Hope looked up and gave Ryan a small smile.

“You shouldn’t be in here, Princess.”

“I didn’t think I would be able to sleep alone, even with the herbs that Vincent gave me. I noticed he gave you some as well.” Hope replied as she scooted up Ryan’s body and folded her arms across his chest, resting her chin on the backs of her hands.

“So you came in here and decided to use me as a pillow?” Ryan asked with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

“Do you not like it when I use you as a pillow?” Hope questioned as she quickly sat up, only for Ryan to pull her back down.

“If it helps you sleep, then I’ll happily be your pillow.” Ryan responded as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I can think of other ways to help you sleep, though.” He added, his free hand rubbing up and down Hope’s side and lightly gripping her hip.

“Hmm... like what?” Hope asked as she pressed kisses to Ryan’s chest.

“Things that would get us in trouble, Princess. But things that I so desperately want to do to you.” Ryan replied.

“We could smudge the line some more.” Hope suggested.

“I don’t know if I’ll have the same level of control that I had yesterday. I was so close to slamming into you; if I have you naked in my bed I might not be able to stop myself from filling you up.” Ryan said as he pulled Hope fully on top of him.

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m ready for you.” Hope replied, rubbing herself on Ryan’s hardening erection.

“Oh, Hope. I’m sure we’re both more than ready, but we can’t. I made a promise. And this is one promise I need to keep now more than ever.”

“Pretty please?”

Ryan’s eyes darkened with lust as Hope rubbed against him more intently. Grasping her hips, Ryan rolled them over before pushing Hope’s camisole up her stomach and pulling it over her head, tossing it to the side and leaning down to capture one of her breasts in his mouth. Hope ran her fingers through Ryan’s hair, holding him to her chest as their hips bucked against each other. Hope couldn’t keep in the moans that were threatening to fall from her lips. Desperate to muffle the sound, Hope tugged on Ryan’s hair and guided his mouth to hers. Wrapping a leg around Ryan’s waist, Hope pressed her center firmly against his erection and bucked.

“Ryan… please… I need… I need _something_. I need a release, **_please_** , Ryan, **_please_**. Make me cum.” Hope begged.

“Hope… Princess… I want you so badly, but we _can’t_.” Ryan responded, nearly breaking his resolve at how close they were.

“Fingers… mouth… I don’t care. Please, please, **_please_** , just make me cum.”

Ryan pulled back and gave Hope a worried look. She was desperate, and he honestly wasn’t sure where the desperation was coming from. Had their actions the day before awoken something in her? Or was the loss of her mother making her feel numb and she wanted to feel something? No matter what the reason behind it was, it was leading to extremely dangerous territory, and what scared him more than anything was that he could feel his own desperation to have Hope in the way they both wanted, trying to break his resolve to keep his promise to Hayley. This needed to stop. Unwrapping Hope’s legs from around his waist, Ryan moved off of the bed and picked up Hope’s camisole before grabbing one of his t-shirts. By the time he got back to the bed, Hope was whimpering and her eyes shined with unshed tears. Pulling her up into a sitting position, Ryan slipped his shirt over her head and let it fall into place before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her next door. Laying her down in the middle of the bed, Ryan tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I was right yesterday… you don’t want me anymore.” Hope whispered.

“You were far from right, Hope. But you’re grieving the loss of your mother and sex is not a coping mechanism. Especially for a minor. And I made a promise to your mother. I promised her that no matter what was said or done, I would wait to have sex with you until you were 18. You mean too much to me for me to break that promise, Hope. But I do very much want you. The fact that we keep getting ourselves into situations where we do almost have sex is proof of that.” Ryan replied as he brushed strands of Hope’s hair from her face.

“What’s so wrong about breaking one promise? It’s not like she can hold you to it anymore.” Hope muttered bitterly.

“I don’t want you to look back on your first time with regret, Hope. While I never wanted you to experience any kind of heartbreak, I want you to experience more of life before we have sex for the first time. I want you to enjoy the rest of your childhood.” Ryan explained. “And aside from you, my word means everything to me. I don’t want to let myself fall into the mindset that just because she can’t hold me to my word, that it’s okay to go against it.”

Hope nodded sullenly as Ryan pressed another kiss to her forehead before standing up. He left the room without another word before coming back a couple minutes later with a glass of water and the bundle of herbs that Vincent had given Hope. Putting a pinch of the herbs into the water, Ryan handed the glass to Hope and waited for her breathing to even out with sleep before making his leave, making sure to leave the door cracked open. Standing outside Hope’s room, Ryan let out a sigh and slid down the wall until he was sitting, his head in his hands.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Freya looked up from her workstation when she heard a clearing of a throat. With a sad smile, she got up and went to wrap her arms around the newcomer before pulling back and giving the woman in front of her a kiss.

“You didn’t have to come home.” Freya commented.

“Hayley’s dead, Freya. As a fellow wolf, I need to be here when she’s honored at the Bayou.” Keelin said. “How’s Hope holding up?” She asked.

“As well as to be expected, I suppose. Her _friend_ , Ryan, is helping as best as he can… for being human and not knowing the full extent of everything that Hope is going through.” Freya replied as she moved back to her workstation.

“Hope’s involved with a human? And Klaus is allowing it?” Keelin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Involved should not be a word used when Klaus is around. Not only is Ryan human, but he’s also 5 years older than Hope. They haven’t had sex yet, thank god, but they’ve come close. The tension that has been filling the compound since Hayley was first taken was only making it easier for the Hollow to get to Hope. I did what I had to do, and asked Ryan to make sure Hope stayed distracted from the lack of leads on Hayley’s abduction. The overall tension undoubtedly turned sexual when they were confined to the house for the last 2 months. They get close and then they stop… or at least Ryan stops. That boy has amazing self-control.” Freya explained.

“Can I see Hope? Maybe there’s something I can do to help?” Keelin offered.

“Vincent gave both of them some herbs to help the sleep, so they might still be asleep, but you are welcome to check on them. Ryan’s been staying in the room next to Hope’s… at least he was up until last night. And while Vincent and I talked to Hope, Ryan went to the other room to get some sleep.”

“What about you? Have you slept at all?”

“A little. But not much. Two of my brothers are unconscious and chained up in the dungeons while we await Rebekah’s arrival. And once she gets her, with Marcel in tow, the two of them, and Klaus will be joining Elijah and Kol.”

Freya looked up at her girlfriend with a frown and Keelin quickly moved to Freya’s side and took her hand.

“Hope intends to take the Hollow back from my siblings.” Freya continued.

“Then why is Marcel going to be joining them?” Keelin asked.

“In order to extract the Hollow from them, and not have something dangerous happen, Hope wants to put my siblings into a Chambre de Chasse. She knows Marcel won’t allow her to go through with this plan, so she insists that the best way to go about it is to put him in there too. For a teenage girl who just lost her mother not even 24 hours ago, she has everything planned out for this. And it worries me that she might have had this planned for a while.”

“She’s a smart girl who, like the rest of her family, will do whatever it takes to protect them. If she believes she is strong enough to take back the Hollow, and that in doing so, she’ll save the family, then she has my full support.”

“She has Vincent’s support as well. He even said that I might as well help her before she goes outside the family. I just don’t want her to get hurt. Or for the Hollow take advantage of Hope’s connection to Ryan, and hurt him in some way, because that would completely destroy her if he got hurt because of her. It’s why she’s not telling him the full truth.”

“If she cares enough about this boy, he’s going to need to know the truth about her and the family.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to go check on the kids, and then when I come back, you’re going to take a break.”

“I don’t have time to take a break. We know that Rebekah is already on her way, and she could arrive any minute. This needs to be ready.”

“Have Vincent take over. None of the people that Hope loves are any good to her if they all wear themselves out. You need to rest, too, honey.”

Freya nodded and Keelin leaned down to press a kiss to her girlfriend’s lips before making her leave. She would give Freya a little bit more time to work on getting everything ready that Hope needed, but then as soon as she had checked on Hope and Hope’s friend, Keelin planned on making sure the woman she loved got some rest herself. As Keelin made her way into the main part of the compound from the tower that Freya had commandeered as her own, she passed Vincent and gave the witch a smile.

“Welcome home, Keelin.” Vincent said with a smile of his own.

“Thanks. Hey, could you do me a favor? Freya is going to run herself ragged trying to get everything done that Hope needs, do you think you could help her get things ready, and then when I come back to get Freya, take over for her?” Keelin asked.

“Where are you going?” Vincent inquired.

“To check on the kids.”

With a nod, Vincent made his way in the direction that Keelin had just come from while Keelin headed towards the stairs to make her way up to Hope’s room. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting Ryan to look like, but the young man that was sitting just outside Hope’s room with his head in his hands wasn’t it. He didn’t look 20 years old, in fact, with the way he was looking in that very moment, he looked a lot younger. And Keelin could see why Freya had said that the two of them kept almost having sex. Ryan’s youthful looks could make it difficult for a young girl like Hope to forget that the boy she was interested in was an adult while she was a minor.

“You must be Ryan.” Keelin said softly.

“Who are you?” Ryan asked, jerking his head up in surprise.

“I’m Keelin, Freya’s girlfriend. Do you mind if I join you?” Keelin inquired, and Ryan motioned to the space next to him. “How are you holding up with everything?”

“I’m concerned about Hope.” Ryan replied.

“And that’s understandable, but that’s not what I’m asking. How are _you_ holding up?” Keelin stressed.

“Honestly... not very well. I’m at a loss of what to do to help Hope get through losing her mother, and I hate not knowing how to help.”

“Ryan, you don’t really have to _do_ anything. Just being there is good enough. But if you feel you _need_ to do something, then you could always take her out to do something that she usually enjoys doing. Obviously keep it to a minimum at first, so that she doesn’t get overwhelmed, and in increments, and if she does start to get overwhelmed, get her somewhere quiet and away from others to wait out the episode before bringing her home.” Keelin explained.

“I feel like I’m failing her; and I fear that she feels like I’m failing her. She already thinks that I don’t want her, and that breaks my heart, because it’s in no way true. She’s all I want.” Ryan said with a sigh.

“Have you talked to her about how you’re feeling?” Keelin asked.

“Not exactly... I’ve mostly been trying to get her to open up to me about how she’s feeling so that I have some kind of clue as to how to help her. Do you think that that’s doing more harm than good?” Ryan questioned.

“I do, yes. Ryan, relationships are a two way street. Yes, it’s good to know how the other is feeling when they are going through a hard time so that you can be there for them, emotionally, but focusing solely on them and not expressing your own feelings... that is just being counterproductive. But one thing I want you to keep in mind is that Hope has been through a lot of trauma in her life. What happened to her as a child being the worst of it... at least up until yesterday. She didn’t always have a steady home life, and that is something that is important for a child to have, and for her to have not had that... it wasn’t good for her.”

“I know that Klaus hasn’t been around much of Hope’s life, but I don’t know many specifics...”

“That is correct... Klaus hasn’t been around much, but most of that wasn’t because he chose to be away from her. Every instance that Klaus was away was because it was what was best for Hope, even if it hurt her. But there were also custody battles between Klaus and Hayley that weren’t good for Hope either, both of them lashing out at each other because they thought Hope being with one over the other was what was best. From what I know of Hope’s life growing up, there has been very few times that she has lived with both of her parents, and each of those few times have always been short lived before something else came up that separated them from her.”

“Is there something more than that going on, though? Like a deeper reasoning for it all? Hope reacted extremely violently when her Uncle Kol showed up, but as soon as Freya got him to leave the room, Hope calmed down. That can’t be normal, can it?”

“I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, Ryan, but it’s really not my place to say. Hope needs to be the one to tell you everything. If you would like me to, I can talk to her, try and get her to see that telling you the full truth would be a lot more helpful to your relationship than keeping things from you.”

Ryan glanced over his shoulder at Hope’s bedroom and sighed. He wanted her to be able to confide in him. To tell him the truth, but he didn’t want her to feel like she was being forced to tell him. He wanted her to know for sure that she could trust him with the full truth. Would she feel that way if he asked her aunt’s girlfriend to talk to her? Glancing back at Keelin, Ryan gave her a nod. Even if it didn’t happen right away, if Hope at least knew that it would help, eventually, to tell him everything, then he would take it.

“I’ll be right back.” Keelin said as she placed a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Ryan nodded again and watched Keelin slip into the room. He really hoped he hadn’t just made a mistake that would ruin his relationship with Hope.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Keelin closed the door behind her as she entered Hope’s room and took in the sleeping form of the girl that she saw as a niece. While mostly looking peaceful, there was a small crease in between Hope’s eyebrows and Keelin let out a sigh. The herbs that Vincent had given her might be helping to a degree, but it wasn’t helping completely, and Keelin could only assume that Hope would only sleep completely peaceful if she had the combination of the herbs and Ryan, and that broke Keelin’s heart. Because Ryan wouldn’t be allowed onto the campus of Hope’s school, let alone in her bedroom. Summer was quickly coming to an end, and Hope would lose the only comfort that she truly had. Moving to the side of the bed, Keelin sat down and gently placed a hand on Hope’s shoulder to shake her awake.

“Keelin? What are you doing here? I thought you were still overseas?” Hope asked groggily once she opened her eyes.

“When I heard that your mother had been abducted, I put in for a leave to return home. I finally got permission to return, but when I landed, it was to the news from Rebekah that your mother had died. I’m so sorry you lost her, Sweetheart.” Keelin said as she opened her arms for Hope to sit up and give her a hug.

“Where’s Ryan?” Hope asked as she buried her face in her pseudo-aunt’s shoulder.

“He’s in the hall.” Keelin replied while running her fingers through Hope’s hair. “I offered to talk to you before he came back in.”

“Talk to me about what?” Hope questioned, pulling back to look in the older wolf’s eyes.

“About you holding back the full truth about you and the family. He’s devoted to you, Hope, and keeping secrets is hurting both of you.” Keelin said.

“But he’s...” Hope trailed off.

“I know, Freya told me. But Hope, Sweetheart, he should have the full truth so that he can make the decision for himself. I know how much you hate when people make decisions for you, but you are doing the very same thing to Ryan. Taking away his choice. But from how he was just talking... I have every faith that even with the entire truth, his devotion to you won’t waiver.” Keelin interrupted. “You just need to give him a chance. How can he prove to you that you can trust him in the long run if you don’t give him the facts? If you continue keeping secrets, there’s a huge chance that you’ll never feel ready to tell him, because there would always be a part of you that questions if you can trust him completely.”

“I don’t want him to get hurt.” Hope whispered.

“You know that the family would help protect him if need be.”

“ _I_ don’t want to hurt him.”

“You think that once things that are bound to happen actually happen, that the way you feel for him will be overpowered by your primal instincts?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Hope, you can’t live in fear of that. None of that is doing Ryan, or you, any good.”

“What would I do if I tell him the truth, and he decides he doesn’t want to be with me? I don’t think I would be able to survive that, Keelin.”

“You have to have faith in what you’re feeling. And that he feels the same way, because Hope, I can assure that in the short time talking to him, and from what Freya told me, you two _do_ feel the same way about each other.”

“Okay... but does it... does it have to be right now? Or can I wait until after mom’s funeral?”

“I don’t see why you can’t wait. Just let him know that you will be telling him the truth. Besides, I’m guessing that he’s driving you back to Mystic Falls for school?”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Then you’ll need something to talk about on the drive back. It’s a long drive.”

“Or I could wait until we get back to Mystic Falls. Then it won’t make the drive awkward if he doesn’t take things well.”

“That works too. Just don’t wait too long, Sweetheart, because after everything you’ve been through, being in a relationship that is based on half truths is only going to continue to hurt you in the long run.”

“I just really don’t want to lose him.”

“Let me ask you something Hope... how do you truly feel about Ryan?”

“I feel like he’s my soulmate. That the reason nature did everything necessary to ensure mom and dad met and had me was so that Ryan wouldn’t be alone. He makes me feel like I’m not some colossal mistake that shouldn’t have been born.”

“So he makes you feel whole?”

“Yes.”

“And have you told him this?”

“Yes and no... I told him that I believe in soulmates and the possibility of past lives, and that I feel like he’s my soulmate. It was the only thing that could describe how instantaneous our connection was when we met on my birthday.”

“And how long after the two of you met did you tell him that?”

“A couple of hours.”

“Hope, Sweetheart, if Ryan were going to run away or want nothing to do with you, you telling him just a couple hours after you met that you thought he might be your soulmate would have done it. But he’s still here, 4 months later, and he just told me that you are all he wants. If he stuck by you after that, then telling him everything isn’t going to make him run. Granted, he might need some time to process everything, but I don’t foresee him ever running away.”

Hope sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating everything that Keelin had said. She had to admit, Keelin made a lot of good points, and it really helped Hope see the entire situation in a different light. It had been drilled into her since she started going to the Salvatore School that she needed to hide who and what she was. So much so that not only were there only 3 students at the school who knew the truth, but she wasn’t even friends with any of them. But because of that, keeping the truth a secret had become second nature to her. A second nature that she didn’t enjoy having. Keelin was right; Ryan needed to know the whole truth, and soon. If she continued along the same path with Ryan that she had taken with the twins and Henry, not only would she not have any friends, but she wouldn’t have a boyfriend either. And Ryan meant too much to her for her to let that happen. Hope made a promise to herself at that very moment that as soon as she and Ryan got home and were getting the apartment set up, that she would tell him the truth. But then another thought occurred to Hope, and she couldn’t help voicing it.

“Aunt Keelin... are you and Aunt Freya gonna get married any time soon?”

“I’d like to, if I could ever convince her that marriage is a good thing, and that we wouldn’t have a marriage like your grandparents.” Keelin replied.

“If- _when_ you do, would I be able to invite Ryan to be my date to the wedding?” Hope asked.

“Absolutely. From the short conversation that I just had with him, I like your boyfriend. I can see that the two of you are good for each other.”

“He’s not...” Hope started quickly.

“Don’t worry, Hope, I won’t tell. I’m sure Freya knows as well, because when she mentioned Ryan, she stressed the word ‘friend’ very sarcastically.” Keelin said with a smile.

“It’s illegal, so we while we know what we are to each other, and because mom and Aunt Freya stressed the importance of no one, especially dad, finding out, we haven’t actually officially told anyone... and we don’t plan to until I turn 18. Even then, I have no intention of telling anyone at school.”

“Are you sure that’s the best solution?”

“People at school don’t have any right to know about my relationship status. Especially since he is human. The vampires might go after him, and if any of the wolves break out of the cells during a full moon? I don’t want to put him in harm’s way.”

“Okay.”

After giving Hope a quick hug and a knowing look, Keelin got up from the bed and headed towards the door. As the older woman stepped out into the hall, Ryan slipped inside and stood just inside the door while Keelin closed it behind her.

“You can come over to the bed, Ryan.” Hope whispered.

“How was your talk with Keelin?” Ryan asked.

“She helped me see that I’m going into our relationship all wrong. And that if I stay on this path, that it could hurt both of us in the long run. And that’s not something I want to have happen, Ryan.”

“So you’re going to tell me the truth?”

“As soon as we get back to Mystic Falls, yes.”

“Hope...”

“Ryan, I need to get through my mother’s funeral with you by my side. I can’t do this without you, and I don’t want to risk you taking the truth badly and leaving. It’s selfish, but please, just... just give me until we get home and I’ll tell you everything.”

Ryan let out a frustrated sigh and pushed away from the wall to join Hope on the bed. Once he was settled back against the pillows he pulled Hope towards him and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. Hope curled up into Ryan’s side and clutched his shirt in her hand. The urge to cry again was overwhelming but instead of giving in, Hope squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face into Ryan’s chest.

“I told you before, Hope, it’s okay to cry in front of me. I won’t think less of you for doing so.” Ryan muttered.

“I know.” Hope whispered back.

“So... when we head home, will it still be _our_ home that we’re going to?” Ryan asked.

“I hope it will be. It depends on how you handle learning the truth about everything.” Hope replied.

“I’d rather you tell me now.” Ryan commented. “Knowing that you’re going to tell me the truth, but that you even think that I’ll react badly hurts, Hope.”

“I...”

“I know... you need to get through the funeral first. But will you really be able to focus on everything for it if part you fears that you won’t have me close by?”

“Ryan, please don’t push this... I promise that you’ll have the truth soon.”

“Hope, I’ve told you numerous times that I won’t leave you. That I’m going to be here for you, no matter what. And yet despite that reassurance, you still fear that I’m going to leave you once you tell me the truth. Did you really expect me to just take that laying down? That I wouldn’t be upset about it? I thought that you knew me better than that by now, Hope.”

“I do know you better than that, Ryan! God... keeping _anything_ from you has been torture enough... even before everything that’s happened! But I’ve had enough people in my life promise that they won’t leave me, and then something happens, and they have to break that promise. I hate thinking that you could be someone who does that, but I haven’t had the best luck in that department. I don’t want to think that it’s still a possibility, but it is, Ryan. It’s a reality that I can’t help thinking might happen. So please, I’m begging you, be by my side through my mother’s funeral, and then as soon as we get back to Mystic Falls, I’ll tell you everything.”

Hope was kneeling at Ryan’s side by now, giving him an imploring look. Praying that he would agree to wait until they got home for her to tell him the truth, but Ryan wasn’t backing down. Instead he sat up himself and moved off the bed, pacing back and forth, his hands clenched into fists.

“Hope, if you are so scared about me taking the truth badly, please, just get it over with so that we can move past this. I want to do what’s best for you, and I honestly don’t think that you waiting until after the funeral, and through an extremely long car ride all the way back to Mystic Falls is what’s best. To be perfectly frank, I think it’ll make you sick to your stomach. You’ll be so nervous and worried about me reacting badly that waiting will make you physically sick. It’s been torture for me to see how you’ve been reacting to your uncles and father being near you, I know that seeing you get sick again because you think I’m going to abandon you won’t be something that I’ll be able to handle.” Ryan pleaded.

“But you think me telling you now is what’s best for me?” Hope asked.

“Yes, Hope, I do. It’s the only way to prove to you that I’m not going anywhere. That you are stuck with me.” Ryan replied.

“There you go again! Making decisions for me! I know that I’ve been making things harder on both of us with being wishy-washy on the truth, but now that I’ve finally, _finally_ made the decision to tell you, you go and undermine that decision by trying to force my hand... all in the name of ‘what’s best for me’! Well news flash for you, Clarke... it’s not happening. If you want to know the truth, you’re going to have to wait until we get home!” Hope exclaimed before moving off the bed and heading towards the bathroom, making sure to slam the bathroom door shut behind her.

“HOPE!” Ryan snapped, following behind her, and hitting the side of his fist against the doorframe as the door slammed shut in his face.

“Leave me alone!” Hope yelled.

“No. I’m not going anywhere, Hope, that’s the god damn point! I’m not leaving you.” Ryan argued. “What do I have to do to get you to understand that?”

Hope wrapped her arms around her middle as she slid down the door and buried her head in her arms as she cried silently. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t just believe Ryan when he was so adamant about having no intention of ever leaving her. Why she had to second guess his resolve. Why she had to let what she had experienced with her family impact how she felt and thought about Ryan. She wanted to know why she couldn’t just give Ryan what he wanted. To tell him the truth now so that it was out there, and that she could focus on her mom’s funeral. Hope didn’t have a single answer to any of her questions, and she hated that. The only thing she wanted in life was to be happy with Ryan. And something was holding her back from even that.

“Hope, Princess, please... open the door.” Ryan pleaded, all the bite in his voice gone.

Hope moved away from the door to sit against the bathtub and used her magic to open the door while wrapping her arms around her knees and lightly rocking back and forth. The second the door was open, Ryan was moving to Hope’s side and pulling her into his lap, tucking her head under his chin while he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sorry, Princess.” Ryan muttered.

“I’m sorry too, Ryan. Sorry that you’ve latched yourself to someone who’s completely broken.” Hope replied bitterly.

“You are not completely broken, Hope.” Ryan said.

“Yes, I am. Everyone in my family is broken.” Hope said with a sigh.

“Talk to be, Princess. Please, I can’t make you feel better if you don’t talk to me.”

“Ryan... I...”

When Hope couldn’t continue, Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then to her temple before leaning back and lifting her chin up to press a kiss to her lips.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you, Hope. If you need to wait until after the funeral, then wait until after the funeral. I’ll work on not pushing you to do something before you’re ready.” Ryan said when he pulled back from the kiss.

“I’m sorry, Ryan. I truly am. You’re ready to have me in your life, for the rest of you life, and I’m just a messed up kid who doesn’t deserve you.”

“Stop doing that, Hope. I really hate it. Yes, you are still a kid, and yes, you’ve clearly had some terrible things happen in your life, but that just shows me that you deserve to be put first, always. So stop with the self-deprecation. You deserve the world, but you’re going to have to settle for me giving you my heart, because that’s all I can give you.”

“I have your heart?”

“Of course you do. Did you really think that I would be so insistent on not leaving you if you didn’t? God, Hope... you’ve had my heart since we first met.”

“Oh.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“You have my heart too, Ryan. And that scares me. Because everyone that I’ve... everyone that I’ve cared about has left me in some way or another.”

“Shouldn’t it count for something that I dropped everything at home to come down here when you needed me?”

“I... I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing, Hope.”

“Yes I do because I’ve been a terrible girlfriend. I’ve been so worried about you finding out the truth and leaving that I didn’t even consider looking at it from another angle that you came down her when everyone else in my family has always had to leave.”

**Legacies – YME - Legacies**

Ryan spent the rest of the day simply holding Hope in his arms, running his fingers through her hair, and pressing kisses to her temple and forehead. Neither of them said anything else, both fearing that another argument would be stirred up, which was something neither of them wanted to have happen, and by the middle of the afternoon, Hope was asleep in Ryan’s arms. By early evening when Freya and Keelin showed up to let them know that dinner was just about ready, Ryan was asleep as well. Deciding to let them sleep, the older couple walked away from the room to head back downstairs to eat dinner.

“How often have they fought since Ryan’s been here?” Keelin asked.

“A couple of times when he first got here, but it’s been better, for the most part, up until Hayley was killed. The Hollow has been affecting Hope’s mind and actions just by my siblings being here. It was bad enough when it was just Klaus, but then when we brought Elijah back... and then with Kol showing up. The Hollow has been trying to back to Hope since we took it out of her and split it up. Hayley’s abduction and death... it’s fueling the connection. Which is why I’m so worried about Hope wanting to take it back. It causing her to fight and lash out at Ryan, the one person who has been able to be there for her, and I’m scared of what will happen to them both when the Hollow is back inside Hope.” Freya explained.

“She’s stronger now. And she won’t be alone.” Keelin reassured her girlfriend.

“But he’s _human_. Who knows what the Hollow will do to him?”

“He’s a human that will do anything for Hope. One who dropped what he had going on at home to come down here to be with her. I have a feeling that once Hope takes the Hollow back, that being with Ryan will quell whatever the Hollow makes Hope feel when she’s not around him. It’ll just be a matter of making sure she stays in control when she has to be at school.”

“He doesn’t know what’s going to be going on with her, though.”

“She’s going to tell him once they get back to Mystic Falls. And before you argue with me on this, her telling him the truth is what’s best for both of them. The only way that she’ll have the proof that she needs that she can trust him completely is for her to tell him the truth and see how he reacts. It’ll help them both in the long run.”

“Keelin... that’s the most dangerous thing for her to do.”

“How else will she know that she can trust him? If she keeps who she is hidden from him for too much longer, she’ll always be worried, even if it’s minutely, that he’s going to be like everyone else that she loves who’s left her. Is that really what you want for her? Or would you rather she know for certain that he’s in this with her? That she has someone that she can confide in. Believe me, it’s the right thing to do.”

“I really hope that you’re right. I want her to be happy.”

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Hope woke a few hours later to a quickly darkening room. Another day had passed since she had seen her mother, a day since her mother had been killed, yet, for some reason, there wasn’t a sinking feeling in the pit of Hope’s stomach. She was curled up completely on top of Ryan’s stomach and his arms were wrapped around her body, holding her to him; one arm around her waist, the other diagonally up her back with his fingers brushed against the ends of her hair, as if he had fallen asleep while playing with her hair. Slipping out of his embrace, Hope tiptoed to the door and headed downstairs. Her stomach was growling, and after getting sick twice in as many days, she needed something to calm the rolling inside. But as she neared the bottom step, she started coughing and by the time she was on the main floor, she was doubled over, coughing up yet another snake.

“No! RYAN!” Hope cried out through her coughing, barely given a chance to look up to see her aunt and brother come rushing into the room. “No, please, no!” She said, her coughing getting worse as Rebekah took a step towards her.

“Back up, Bekah.” Marcel said, grabbing his girlfriend’s wrist and pulling her away from Hope.

“Hope? Princess, what’s wrong?” Ryan asked as he rushed down the stairs and crouched next to her.

“It’s happening again.” Hope said as hot tears slid down her cheeks.

“Who the hell are you?” Marcel asked, his eyes narrowing in Ryan’s direction.

“Is that really what’s important right now? One of you two is causing this!” Ryan shot back as Hope continued coughing violently, another snake falling from her mouth.

“Where’s Freya?” Rebekah asked.

“I’ll find her, you need to get away from Hope, Bekah.” Marcel said.

“I’m so sorry, Baby Girl.” Rebekah muttered before she rushed off.

Once again, Ryan was confused as Hope’s coughing subsided the farther the blonde got away from her. As it subsided to nothing more than sobs and a lot of hot tears streaming down her cheeks, Hope leaned into Ryan’s embrace, the tears falling on his shirt. Pulling her close, Ryan locked eyes over Hope’s head with the man that was standing there, looking way too worried about Hope for Ryan’s liking.

“Mind answering my question now that she’s okay?” Marcel asked.

“She’s far from being okay. Her mother just died yesterday, and she’s had this violent reaction to both of her uncles showing up, and again just now. Nothing about that speaks to her being okay. But if you really must know, my name is Ryan.” Ryan replied with a slight glare.

“You got a last name, Ryan?” Marcel questioned.

“My last name isn’t of importance right now.” Ryan quipped.

“Fair enough. I’m Marcel. Hope’s adopted older brother.”

“You look the same age as her father.”

“She hasn’t told you?”

“Marcel... where’s Rebekah?” Freya asked as she rushed into the room with Keelin a few steps behind her.

“She had to leave. Hope was coughing so violently that she coughed up 2 snakes. What the hell is going on here, Freya?” Marcel inquired.

“Exactly what you think is happening. Klaus... Elijah... Kol... Rebekah... _and_ Hope all being in New Orleans. It’s not good for her, and it’s not good for the city.” Freya replied.

“We came back because Rebekah insisted that we come back. Hayley was killed, Freya.”

“I’m aware of that. I was there when it happened.”

“And you didn’t save her?”

“I couldn’t save her. The fire happened so suddenly and I was otherwise occupied trying to give Klaus a chance to get her out without further casualties.”

“Fire?”

“Yes, Marcel, _fire_. Hayley was killed in a _fire_.”

“She... she...”

“The people who abducted her are responsible.”

“Someone want to explain to me what the hell you’re talking about?” Ryan asked. “The girl that I care about more than anything just coughed up snakes right in front of me. I think it’s time that I get an explanation.”

“Ryan...” Freya started.

“No, Freya... don’t try to placate me. Clearly something extremely horrible is going on, and I know that Hope wants to wait until we get back to Mystic Falls to tell me, but that’s not going to happen now. If she’s in danger, I have a right to know what danger that is so that I can help protect her.”

“He’s _human_? You let a _human_ into Hope’s life?” Marcel asked.

“Will everyone stop saying that? Yes, I’m _human_. So what? Are you telling me that you aren’t?” Ryan snapped.

“Haven’t been for a long time.” Marcel muttered.

“Keelin...” Freya said instead, turning to her girlfriend.

“Let’s go upstairs, Ryan. I’ll explain what I can.” Keelin said.

Ryan clenched his jaw as his eyes darted from Keelin to Freya to Marcel and then down to Hope in his arms as she clung to his shirt, before nodding at Keelin and standing up, lifting Hope effortlessly. As he headed up the stairs, he heard Freya and Marcel start to talk in hushed tones as they headed towards the front door, presumably, to go find Rebekah. Once he had reached Hope’s room, he laid Hope on the bed and settled back against the pillows, pulling her into his side before looking up expectantly at Keelin.

“I’m going to start with the basics here. Everyone is stressing out over the fact that you are human because Hope, and everyone else in the family, is not. Klaus is a hybrid between werewolf and vampire. Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Marcel are all vampires. Freya is a witch. Hayley is... _was_ turned into a hybrid between werewolf and vampire after she gave birth to Hope. Yesterday, her werewolf side was bound, leaving her as just a vampire. Because she had been a hybrid, she didn’t need what is called a Daylight ring, which is something that protects vampires from bursting into flames in daylight. From what I understand, in a move to protect Klaus, and by extension, Hope, Hayley purposefully flung herself, and her assailant into the sunlight yesterday, killing both herself and her assailant instantly.” Keelin explained.

“What about Hope? And you? And Vincent?” Ryan asked slowly.

“Vincent is a witch. I am a werewolf, but I found a way to use medicine to slow down my healing abilities. Hope is all three species. Vampire, Werewolf and Witch. She’s the only one of her kind and is known as a Tribrid. As of right now, she hasn’t activated her werewolf or vampire sides, but being born with the blood of all three species, she has an accelerated healing, normally can’t get sick, and heightened senses, which will be heightened even more when she eventually becomes a fully activated Tribrid.” Keelin said.

“And what’s been going on with her when her father and uncles and aunt have come close to her?” Ryan asked.

“That is a bit more complex of a situation.” Keelin replied.

“Please, Keelin... I need to know.” Ryan pleaded.

“It’s because of something called the Hollow.” Hope whispered from her spot at Ryan’s side.

“The Hollow?” Ryan asked.

“She’s my bitch of an ancestor. She was born this powerful witch. But her power scared her tribe, and the surrounding tribes. They drew and quartered her. But right before she was killed, she did one final spell. A curse... on the seven tribes and their descendants. The werewolf curse.” Hope explained.

“You’re cursed?” Ryan asked.

“In more ways than one, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I kill a human, whether purposefully or on accident, I’ll activate my werewolf curse. If I die myself, I’ll come back as a vampire. The reason I keep reacting so badly to my family being near me is because my dad, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah each have a part of the Hollow in them. It’s the enemy that was after me as a child.”

Ryan glanced between Hope and Keelin, trying to figure out if they were messing with him or not. Seeing the grave look on both of their faces told him that they weren’t. But if it was all true then that meant...

“This... Hollow thing- _person_ \- was it- _she_ \- behind your mental break as a child?” Ryan asked.

“It wasn’t a mental break, Ryan. She had possessed me at the time. Everything I showed you before... that was when she had control of my body. Everything that’s been happening to me when my family’s been near, that’s been her trying to get back to me. I’m the last of her bloodline, so that, mixed with being a first born Mikaelson witch, and having the werewolf temperament from both of my parents, _and_ the potential of being a vampire... she wants my power. She wants to take back over my body.” Hope replied.

“No. I won’t allow that to happen.” Ryan said quickly.

“I have more control now, Ryan. I need to take the Hollow back to save my family.” Hope replied.

“What about you? Hope, I can’t lose you.”

“Ryan, please, this is something that I have to do.”

“And you’re going to allow her to do this?” Ryan asked, turning to Keelin.

“It’s her decision, Ryan. The most we can do is to support her and be there for her once she takes the power back.” Keelin replied.

“This is insanity, Hope! What happens to you if she takes control again? What happens to _us_?”

“I... Ryan, please don’t be upset.”

“How can I not be upset, Hope?” Ryan asked. “You’re planning on taking this evil magic into yourself and you weren’t going to tell me until after the fact!”

“Ryan, please, you need to calm down.” Keelin said.

Ryan untangled himself from Hope and moved off of the bed, pacing back and forth. He had just gotten a lot of information and he needed to process everything. And while it was definitely going to have him looking at a lot of things differently going forward, the only thing that truly worried him was Hope’s plan to take this evil that had possessed her once before back inside herself. He didn’t want to lose her... he _couldn’t_ lose her. He didn’t want to let her do this, wanted to fight her on this decision, but the fact that she was doing this to save her family... how could he ask her not to do that? How could he truly be okay with asking her not to do that. If they were so lucky as to have a family of their own in the future... how would he be able to look their children in the eye and tell them that he wouldn’t let their mother do what she needed to do to save her family? The answer was simple... he wouldn’t be able to look them in the eye, and he never wanted to put himself in a position where he would have to lie to his children.

“What is needed for this all to happen?” Ryan asked.

“Freya just needs to put Rebekah and Klaus into a magical coma, of sorts, and then she and Vincent can start the extraction spell.” Keelin explained.

“What about the other two?” Ryan questioned.

“Elijah and Kol are already under the spell... they were put under after their interactions with Hope, and they are currently in the cells below the house. Once Freya finds Rebekah, she and Marcel will be put under, and then as soon as Klaus returns, he’ll be put under as well.”

“Why is Marcel going under?”

“Because he would do everything he could to stop me from taking the Hollow back. And I can’t allow him to try and stop me.” Hope replied.

“What can I do to help?” Ryan asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if there is something you _can_ do to help. When the time comes to do this, I think it might be best if you aren’t in the room. While the Hollow will be pleased to be back in Hope, she’ll put up a fight while being extracted from the others. She might try to lash out at anyone else in the room.” Keelin said.

“Then I’ll wait outside. I don’t want to be too far away from Hope when this all happens.”

“Ryan...” Hope started.

“Hope, you mean the world to me, and while I don’t like this idea, I’m going to ask or demand that you don’t go through with it. If it’s not safe for me to be in the room, then I’m going to be as close as I can be. I’m not leaving you alone in this.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” Keelin said with a small smile.

As Keelin left the room, Ryan resumed his position on the bed and Hope curled up against his chest.

“Why did telling me all of that make you think that I was going to leave you?” Ryan asked as he rubbed Hope’s arm.

“That was only the basics. There’s still more. But most people don’t exactly take the news of witches and vampires and werewolves being anything more than myths all that well. It’s why Dr. Saltzman is so adamant about students not interacting too much with the locals. He doesn’t want the wrong kind of human to find out about our existence to do something that puts a bunch of kids in danger.” Hope replied.

“What else is there to know?” Ryan inquired.

“My family’s history.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“My dad and his siblings are over 1000 years old. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the past millennia, any one of them could come after me to get to my dad. So yeah, it is. That’s actually what happened with my mom. Roman’s mom went after my mom to get back at my dad for something that he did years ago.”

“That still doesn’t make sense to me. Why go after your mom to get your dad.”

“I don’t know. But it’s 1000 years’ worth of enemies, and what was thought to have been an impossible pregnancy that was anything but easy to get to my birth.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Princess.”

“You’ve been saying that a lot today.”

“Are you finally ready to accept that I mean it?”

“I think so.”


	12. Piecing Life Back Together, Part 2

Having gotten somewhere with learning the truth, Ryan didn’t push Hope for more information for the rest of the night. After an hour of laying on Hope’s bed in silence, Ryan went to get up to go get ready for bed but stopped when Hope grabbed his hand.

“You’re coming back, right?” Hope asked.

“Of course, Princess. I’m just going to get ready for bed and I’ll be right back. It’s been a long day, why don’t you get ready for bed as well, and when I get back, we can both get some much needed sleep.” Ryan replied as he bent down and pressed a kiss to Hope’s forehead.

Hope nodded once and let go of Ryan’s hand. Once he’d left the room and mostly closed the door, Hope got up and went to her dresser to get some pajamas. The same kind of pajamas that she had worn the night that he had been on his way down to New Orleans to be with her for the summer, just in a deep red color instead of blue. Hope was just finishing pulling the bottoms on when Ryan knocked lightly on the door and slipped back inside.

“Fuck.” Ryan muttered under his breath, eyeing the way the pajamas showed off Hope’s curves.

“I can… I can change if this is too much…” Hope trailed off.

“Are _you_ comfortable wearing those with me in the same bed as you?” Ryan asked.

“I think I’ll be okay… if you are.” Hope replied.

“Things might get a little frisky in the middle of the night, but I should be okay.”

With a nod, Hope made her way to the bathroom and grabbed her brush. As she was brushing the tangles out of her hair, Ryan stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“Are you okay, Princess?”

“Yes and no.”

“Are you willing to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“I’m scared, Ry. I know that I’m stronger than I was 8 years ago, and that I am capable of keeping myself in control and not letting the Hollow take over, but what if something goes wrong with the extraction spell? What if my family dies because I couldn’t get the Hollow out of them fast enough? I already lost my mom, I can’t lose anyone else in my family, I just can’t.”

“Hey, I’ll be right outside the room that it’s all happening in. I’m sure Freya and Vincent know what’s at stake, and I have every confidence that they will ensure it goes correctly.”

As Ryan moved Hope’s hair over her shoulder and pressed a trail of light kisses along her neck, Hope worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She’d placed her brush on the counter when Ryan had wrapped his arms around her waist, so Hope was bracing both of her hands on the counter to help keep herself from crumbling. When Ryan glanced up at their reflection and locked eyes with Hope, he let out a soft moan again her neck as he brought his hand up and pulled her lip out from her teeth with his thumb before running the pad of it across her lips.

“When is everything happening?” Ryan muttered into Hope’s ear.

“The funeral will happen first, and then I’ll take the Hollow back. We’ll need to head to back to Mystic Falls immediately after the extraction.” Hope replied while resting her head back against Ryan’s shoulder.

“Shouldn’t the extraction be first? Give you a chance to be around your family once it’s not dangerous for them to be together.” Ryan inquired.

“No… once I take the Hollow back, it’ll be even worse for me to stick around New Orleans. I need to get out of the city as soon as possible, and I’m not leaving before my mom’s funeral. So the funeral needs to happen first, and then we can deal with the extraction. That’s… that’s why I didn’t want to tell you the truth before my mom’s funeral. Aunt Freya will be the only other family that’ll be present because the rest of the family will be in what’s called a Chambre de Chasse. Each of them will have a key that they need to find that represents what they mean to me. They’ll all be hidden about the Chambre de Chasse, and they won’t be able to leave until they find them. But because they won’t know that it’s me that’s putting them into the Chambre, they won’t know that they need to look for what each of them mean to me. It’ll give us time to get through the funeral and the extraction before they start to figure it out.”

“Oh, Princess, I’m so sorry for pushing you. I just wanted to know what was going on so that I could figure out a way to help you through everything.”

Ryan spun Hope around and lifted her onto the counter before stepping between her legs and wrapping his arms around her. Hope shifted forward slightly so that she could wrap her legs around Ryan’s waist and let out a surprised gasp when she felt his erection pressing against her thigh. Slowly reaching between their bodies, Hope went to dip her hand into Ryan’s pajama pants and gently wrapped her hand around his dick, causing Ryan’s breath to hitch.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Princess?” Ryan asked.

“I think I do…” Hope trailed off.

“If you aren’t 100% sure, don’t feel like you need to. I won’t be upset.”

Hope bit the inside of her cheek and gave a small tug to Ryan’s dick. Scooting even closer to the edge of the counter and wrapping her legs even tighter around Ryan’s waist to pull him closer, Hope gripped his shoulder with her free hand and started pumping her hand as best as she could along his length. Ryan’s hips jerked in Hope’s hand as he leaned in and ran his tongue over her pulse point and lightly sucked on her neck.

“I want you inside me.” Hope moaned into Ryan’s ear.

“Not yet, Princess. But eventually.” Ryan murmured against her neck.

Hope made a noise that sounded like a cross between a whine and a moan and pulled her hand back before lightly pushing on Ryan’s shoulders. Ryan gave a small nod and lifted Hope off of the counter before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Hope moved to wrap her arms around Ryan’s waist and pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart, and leaned into his embrace. As they started to pull apart to head to bed, a soft knock sounded on the bedroom door, accompanied by the sound of Freya’s voice.

“Hope? Ryan? May I come in?”

“Come on in Aunt Freya.” Hope called out, intertwining her fingers with Ryan’s, and leading him towards the bed.

“Keelin told me everything that the three of you discussed, and I just wanted to check if there was anything either of you had questions about going forward.” Freya said as she sat at the foot of the bed while Hope and Ryan leaned against the pillows.

“It’s not so much a question as a request… I want to have the funeral first. I know I said earlier that we should take the Hollow out of them and put it in me, and then have the funeral, but thinking about it, I should leave New Orleans pretty soon after the extraction.” Hope explained.

“Are you sure?” Freya asked.

“Yes. Have the funeral, keeping Dad and the others asleep, and then let them wake up enough to see Vincent before sending them into the Chambre de Chasse. I’ll do the spell, and channel you and Vincent.” Hope replied.

“Anything else?” Freya questioned.

“Just that Hope and I will be leaving immediately after.” Ryan replied.

“Of course.”

“Aunt Freya… I think we might need to do one extra thing to divert their suspicion of me having done the spell.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you don’t want to send them back, and you probably don’t want to go back, either, but I think to further the ruse that it’s all Vincent’s doing, you should go in as well. Put a fake lock on the door for you, and if they come to the right deduction and confront you with why I’m doing this, you can leave of your own free will.”

“If I go in, I don’t know if you’ll be able to channel me.”

“I should just have to channel you to create the Chambre, right? Then once they’re all in there, we can begin the extraction.”

“Are you sure you’ll be up for all of this, Princess?”

“If I’m not, then I can sleep in the car on the way home.”

Ryan and Freya shared a look at that. Ryan couldn’t tell if Freya was worrying the same thing he was or not, but he didn’t dwell on that. Instead he dwelled on the possibility of Hope passing out from everything and waking up to not being the one in control of her body. A small part of his mind gave him the thought that if Hope woke up and wasn’t in control, that if they had sex, he wouldn’t be breaking his promise to Hayley, but he quickly squashed that thought. Whether it was Hope in control or not, it would still be her body, and he wasn’t about to take advantage of his girlfriend like that. When the silence that had filled the room only continued to stretch on, Freya gave a nod and got up to leave. Once she had left the room, Hope got up to close and lock the door behind her aunt before returning to the bed and crawling onto Ryan’s lap.

“What’s wrong?” Hope asked as she grasped the hem of Ryan’s shirt and tugged at it so that he would take it off.

“I’m worried about you, Princess. Worried that if this plan ends up being too much for you, that you could wake up and not be the one in control.” Ryan replied while he pulled his shirt over his head.

“It could be fun…” Hope trailed off, running her hands over Ryan’s chest.

“The only time I want to have _fun_ with you is when _you_ are in control. I don’t want to be in a position where I feel like I’m cheating on you, even if it’s your body.”

“Hm… I still wish we could have some of that _fun_ now. Waiting is going to be difficult.”

“I’m at the disadvantage, though, whenever you get me aroused.”

“How so?”

“Really, Princess? You can’t think of a single thing that would make things more difficult for me? Not a single one?”

As Ryan spoke he gently grabbed one of Hope’s wrists and moved her hand down to the semi-hard bulge. Hope’s eyes went wide and she quickly moved off of him to bury her face in his neck while a blush crept up on her cheeks as Ryan chuckled. Wrapping his arms around Hope’s shoulders, Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You truly are extremely adorable, Princess.” Ryan said.

“How did I forget about that?” Hope muttered.

“Honestly, I don’t know, because you literally had it in your hand like, 15 minutes ago.” Ryan replied.

“Ryan…?”

“Yes, Hope?”

“Are you still wanting to wait to tell me about the things you experienced at Seylah’s club?”

“Yes. While we are probably in more of a secure place in our relationship than most couples are at the 4 month mark, I want us to be even more secure. At least a year, if possible.”

“Without giving specifics, what would it be regarding?”

“Sexual preferences, kinks that I’ve, for lack of a better word, latched onto. When the time comes for us to fully discuss it, I want us to actually discuss what I like, what you might like, and what neither of us like.”

“Kinks?”

“Basically a sexual fantasy. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I am particularly fond of seeing you in your school uniform.”

“That’s… that’s an actual thing?”

“It is. Although before meeting you, I never would have imagined that I would be dating someone who _actually_ has the schoolgirl uniform.”

“We wouldn’t… we wouldn’t have be on campus or anything, right?”

“Not at all. But we’ll discuss specifics of the things that I like later. We still have a busy week ahead of us.”

Hope nodded against Ryan’s chest as she linked her fingers with his and rested their hands over Ryan’s heart. As she drifted off to sleep to Ryan playing with her hair, Hope couldn’t help but feel at peace for the first time since her mother had disappeared. The last conscious thought that fluttered through Hope’s mind was that she was happy she’d told Ryan the truth… with Keelin’s help. There was still a lot that they had to discuss, but Ryan had enough of the truth, and he wasn’t bolting for the door, and that gave Hope a lot of peace of mind.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Over the next few days, there was a lot of commotion about the Abattoir. Freya had managed to get Rebekah and Marcel unconscious and away from Hope, and they were just waiting for Klaus to make his reappearance so that he could join his siblings. While Hope had originally been wanting to help make the funeral arrangements, Keelin had insisted that both Hope and Ryan get out of the house for a bit. So they ended up meeting Josh and Aiden at Rousseau’s for lunch.

“So… you know about stuff now.” Josh said, with a surprised look on his face.

“Coughing up snakes in response to my aunt being around wasn’t exactly something that could be explained as a fluke… especially when it was two snakes.” Hope supplied as she rubbed Ryan’s thigh under the table.

“Which species are you most intrigued by, Ryan?” Aiden asked.

“Right now… Witch.” Ryan replied while pressing a kiss to Hope’s temple.

“Not surprising. Hope is a real spitfire of a witch. Ever since she was a baby.” Josh said with a smile.

“How long have you been a vampire for, Josh?”

“About 16 years, roughly. Marcel turned me before Hayley was truly showing in her pregnancy.” Josh replied.

“And Aiden? When did you…? Is that… appropriate to ask a wolf?”

“I triggered my curse when I was a teenager, shortly before coming out as gay to Hope’s late step-father. Jackson wasn’t bothered by it, so eventually, I became Beta to the Crescent pack. Second in command to Jackson and Hayley. Acting Alpha now, until Hope is ready to take the spot.”

“How is Henry doing? Is he… is he adjusting okay?” Hope asked.

“Who’s Henry?” Ryan questioned.

“Oh… um, you remember the classmate that tried to hurt himself on my birthday?” Hope started and Ryan nodded. “Henry had drank vampire blood and then killed himself to become a Hybrid. He’s a member of the Crescent Pack.” She explained.

“He’s adjusting well. His attitude needs to be worked on, but he’s definitely adjusting to being a Hybrid.” Aiden assured Hope. “It might be good for you to come out to the Bayou and talk to the pack yourself. Before the honoring ceremony for your mom.”

“I don’t know if I can… emotionally I mean.” Hope said while blinking back tears.

Aiden gave her a nod of understanding before reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. As the two couples resumed eating, the conversation all but dying out, Hope noticed one of the bartenders talking to Declan and motioning towards the table.

“Crap.” Hope muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked.

“Declan’s about to come over here.” Hope replied before looking up and locking eyes with the Irishman that she had seen as a father figure for so long.

“Hope, kiddo, where’s your mum? I haven’t heard from her in months.” Declan said when he reached the table, eyeing the way Ryan had his arm protectively around Hope’s shoulders and Hope’s hand resting on Ryan’s thigh.

“Declan, I’m so sorry… my mom had been abducted 2 months ago, and then she was killed the other day.” Hope said. “When I had called you… the day my dad showed up here… I was calling to warn you about him possibly coming after you, and to tell you about my mom, but everything just got so crazy and it completely slipped my mind. I’m so, so, so sorry.” Hope explained.

“No one else thought it necessary to tell me that my girlfriend was missing? For two months?” Declan asked with a frown.

“I’m truly sorry, Declan.” Hope said, her eyes filling with tears.

“There’s to be a funeral then? Or was that something else that I wasn’t informed of?”

“The funeral is tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

With that, Declan all but stormed off. Hope didn’t blame the man for being upset. She had told Freya that he deserved to know that her mom had gone missing, but then everything else just happened so quickly and it truly had slipped her mind.

“I think that just put a somber mood on the rest of lunch. We should probably head out.” Ryan commented.

“Yeah. You all go ahead, I’ll pay for lunch.” Josh offered.

With nods of agreement, Hope, Ryan, and Aiden headed outside and Hope shivered. It was all so real now. Her mom was gone and she’d never be coming back. Not after the funeral the following day. But as Ryan put his jacket over her shoulders, it was Aiden that Hope turned to.

“I don’t know if I want to be Alpha. After Jackson and my mom, I feel like any Labonair, or anyone connected to the Labonairs, that holds the position is cursed. And I feel cursed enough as it is… and while I’d hate to put it on your shoulders, do you think you’d want to be Alpha permanently?” Hope asked.

“Hope… with everything going on and given your age and the fact that you haven’t triggered your curse yet, I don’t blame you for having reservations about taking the position you were born to have in the pack. Give it time. If, when you turn 18, and if you’ve triggered your curse by then, you still feel this way, we can revisit this. But for now, I think it’s best that we stick with the way things are supposed to be.” Aiden replied.

“Aiden’s right Princess. You’re not in the headspace you need to be in to make such a big decision, and it’s not even one that you need to make right now.” Ryan added while wrapping an arm around Hope’s shoulders and pulling her into his side.

“Okay.” Hope replied with a small nod as Josh joined them.

“Declan wants to talk to you, Ryan.” Josh commented.

“Me?”

“Yeah… I think you’re about to get the Dad Speech.”

“But we haven’t done anything…”

“Except be openly touchy-feely right in front of him.” Hope whispered.

“I’m not going to apologize for touching you. Besides, my touches have been innocent.” Ryan said with the hint of a smirk.

“We’ll stay with Hope.” Josh offered.

With a sigh and a nod, Ryan headed back inside.

“He’s a good guy, Hope. You’re lucky to have found him.” Aiden commented.

“Aiden… if I do eventually take over as Alpha, and Ryan and I are lucky enough to get to the point where we get married, how would that work within the pack?” Hope asked.

“While he is human, and it’s not very often that wolves marry non-wolves, he would be seen as your mate, and the pack would protect him, as necessary.” Aiden replied.

“Good.”

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

The second Ryan walked up to Declan, the older male was leading him towards a back room where it was a little bit quieter. Once they were away from all of the chatter, Declan turned to face Ryan and gave him a once over.

“What are your intentions with Hope?” Declan asked.

“She’s my world, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with her.” Ryan replied.

“She’s 15.” Declan pointed out. “She is a minor, a kid. One who shouldn’t be settling down so soon.” He added.

“I’m aware of her age, having met her on her 15th birthday 4 months ago.” Ryan said.

“Surely Hayley had been aware of this romance?” Declan inquired.

“Yes, she was. And I made a promise to Hayley that no matter what, I’d wait to have sex with Hope until she turns 18. And in that timeframe, I plan to get to know Hope even more than I already do. But none of that negates that Hope is very much a part of my future.” Ryan replied.

“Then I won’t try to put a stop to it. Just treat that girl the way she deserves to be treated.”

“Of course. Is there anything else?”

“Do you know how Hayley died?”

“In a fire.”

“Did she suffer?”

“Honestly, I don’t know the full details. But I am sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. That’s all.”

With a nod, Ryan made his way back outside and directly to Hope to wrap his arms around her waist. Hope turned her head and pressed a kiss to Ryan’s cheek before intertwining their fingers together. As the two couples walked through the French Quarter, looking at all the different stands of vendors’ goods, Hope was drawn to a stand that was full of jewelry. Specifically she was drawn to the rings and Ryan stepped up behind her.

“You know, I still stand by what I said back in June when I gave you the bracelet… you do deserve a ring.” Ryan murmured into Hope’s ear.

“Ryan…” Hope trailed off.

“I haven’t had a chance since I’ve been here to spoil you, Hope. Which one do you want?” Ryan asked.

“This one…” Hope said, pointing to one with a simple band that had what looked like an opal as a makeshift moon and a wolf howling on it.

“Done.” Ryan replied as he plucked the ring from the display stand and handed the money to the vendor.

“You’re too good to me, Ryan. You really didn’t have to do that.” Hope insisted.

“Yes I did, because you do deserve it.” Ryan said as he slipped the ring onto Hope’s right ring finger and lifted her hand to his lips. “Let’s get you back. I’m ready to have you to myself for the rest of the day.” He added in a whisper.

“I’d like that.”

Before they could get too far, however, Aiden walked over to them and gave Ryan an apologetic look.

“May I borrow Hope for a moment? I promise to bring her right back to you once we’re done talking.” Aiden said.

“I’m not the one you should be asking, Aiden. Especially since Hope has made it perfectly clear that she detests when I make decisions for her, and I’m trying to be better at respecting that.” Ryan replied.

“Hope?” Aiden asked, turning to her.

“Sure.” Hope said, giving Ryan’s hand a squeeze before letting go and following Aiden to an alley where it was a bit quieter. “Is everything okay, Aiden?”

“Hope, I’ve known you since you were a baby, and you know that I always had Jackson and Hayley’s backs as their Beta… so I’m curious… when your mother went missing, why didn’t you contact the pack? Why didn’t you contact me?”

“I did contact the pack… I called Henry… I know, I should have called you, but I was already stressed out that day, and Henry was the first person who came to mind, because when my mom asked if I wanted to go with her to the Bayou that day, I’d declined because I didn’t think I could face the pack after whatever Henry could have told everyone about me.” Hope explained.

“You called him that day?” Aiden asked and when Hope nodded, he ran his hands over his face. “Dammit.” He muttered in a growl.

“Did… did Henry not talk to the pack?” Hope questioned, her eyes starting to fill up with tears.

“Not for a couple of days, no. We’d been wondering where your mother was, since we hadn’t seen her in almost a week, and that’s when Henry mentioned you’d called. But by that time, it was too late for us to catch her trail.” Aiden explained.

“Wait… so my mom _had_ been going to the Bayou every other day?”

“Yeah, why?”

“When I talked to Henry, and asked him if she had been there, he told me that she hadn’t been there since the start of summer. I knew he was upset with me for not hanging out with him at school, especially after he turned, but I didn’t think he would lie to me about that… especially after I had to pull rank just to get him to agree to talk to the pack in the first place.”

“That’s it… I don’t care if he’s just a kid, his actions, or lack thereof in this case, prevented us from potentially saving your mother. And for that… he needs to be punished.”

“It’s my fault, Aiden… if I had just called you instead…”

Hope leaned back against the wall and sank to the ground as hot tears flowed down her cheeks. She could make out the watery outline of Aiden as he knelt down in front of her, and Ryan and Josh quickly joined him, but Hope tuned out what they were all saying as Ryan lifted her into his arms. Clinging to the front of his shirt, Hope turned to bury her face in Ryan’s chest, her tears soaking the material. Her crying, coupled with the rhythmic feel of Ryan carrying her as he walked must have lulled Hope to sleep because the next thing she knew, she was being placed in her bed and Ryan was tucking her in, placing a kiss to her forehead before saying he’d be right outside.

“What happened?” Ryan asked and Aiden let out a sigh.

“The boy that Hope asked about at lunch, Henry… he purposefully lied to Hope, and delayed in informing the pack that Hope had asked us to help search for Hayley, making it too late for us to track her scent.” Aiden explained.

“What did he lie to her about?” Josh questioned.

“Hope had asked him if Hayley had been out to the Bayou, and Henry told her that Hayley hadn’t been out there since the beginning of the summer, when really she’d been coming out every other day.”

“Why would he do that to Hope? To Hayley?” Ryan inquired.

“He’s a teenage boy who’s upset and angry about being ignored at school by the only other teenager in his pack. Add on the fact that he’s a newly turned Hybrid? His emotions are heightened. He most likely saw it as a form of payback towards Hope.”

Ryan wanted to punch something. One of Hope’s classmates had a direct connection to the woman behind Hayley’s abduction, and another made it impossible for anyone to find Hayley after the fact. It was making Ryan not want to let Hope go back to school when they got home. He just wanted to keep her to himself and start their life together. But that mindset alone wasn’t realistic. Hope was still a kid herself, and still had 2 more years of school left. As much as he wanted to be selfish, he couldn’t be.

“What can we do?” Ryan asked.

“As acting Alpha, I have no choice but to punish him for what he’s done. I’ve just never had to dole out a punishment before, so I don’t know what would be an appropriate one to match the severity of his actions. He’s still a kid, after all.” Aiden replied.

“Whatever you decide to do…” Ryan started but trailed off while glancing at Hope’s door. “Please make sure you discuss it with Hope. I hate that she’s already been through so much, but because this directly impacts her, I would like her to be involved, however much or little she wants to be.” He said.

“Of course. As I mentioned at lunch, I’m only acting Alpha until Hope comes of age and has triggered her curse. The pack was already pulling away from Hayley being their Alpha, and that was _with_ Hayley having been a wolf. If Hope tries to take her rightful place before she’s a wolf, they could turn on her, and I’m not about to let that happen.” Aiden agreed.

“Thank you. I should get back to her.” Ryan said, giving both men a nod.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Walking back into Hope’s room after saying goodbye to Aiden and Josh, Ryan’s eyes immediately went to the bed where he had left Hope, only to find the covers thrown back, and the bed vacant of his girlfriend. For a brief moment, a wave of fear washed over Ryan before he registered a soft giggle and turned towards it to find Hope sitting at the easel. Letting out a sigh of relief that Hope was okay, Ryan moved to grab the chair from Hope’s desk and sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

“Don’t scare me like that, Princess. I thought something had somehow happened to you, despite me having been right outside.” Ryan murmured as his lips moved to her neck.

“Sorry… I just woke up. Figured with as jam packed as the next few days are going to be, I should probably get this painting done so that we can take it with us when we head home.” Hope replied as she leaned back in Ryan’s embrace.

“I talked to Aiden and asked him, whatever he ends up deciding to do as Henry’s punishment, to include you in the decision. You might not be a wolf yet, but I’d like you to be able to embrace as much of yourself as you can. And if you decide you want to be Alpha in the future, I think you should have a say in the punishments that are handed out within your pack. Especially one that directly affects you.”

“I appreciate that, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As Hope continued to work on the painting, Ryan kept his arms wrapped around her waist and continuously placed light kisses to her shoulder and neck. By the time she finished it and was turning around to face Ryan, the sun had started to set and the sounds of yelling could be heard from downstairs and Hope cringed.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked, lifting Hope into his lap.

“My dad’s finally back… he’s not happy about the fact that the others have all been knocked out.” Hope replied. “At least that’s the logical assumption, based on the circumstances. I won’t get heightened hearing until becoming a vampire.” Hope replied.

“I see.” Ryan said as he stood up and carried Hope to the bed.

“What are you doing?” Hope asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve been sitting at your easel for hours, so I’m going to give you a massage to loosen your muscles.”

“Hm… that sounds nice.”

“HOPE ANDREA MIKAELSON!”

Her name rang out through the house causing both of them to freeze. Slowly moving away from Ryan, Hope made her way to the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs, locking eyes with her father down below.

“Yes Dad?”

“What is the meaning of all of this?” Klaus questioned, his eyes dangerously close to turning yellow, if his tone was anything to go by.

“What do you mean?”

“Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Marcel are all unconscious… explain yourself. Now!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad.”

“Don’t lie to me young lady.”

“I’m not. But why is it such a big deal? If they weren’t unconscious, then I would be having a really bad reaction to their presence here.”

“Hope…”

“Dad, I had nothing to do with what happened to them, but maybe this is for the best.”

“Please tell me how you think this is best?”

“Kol and Rebekah insisted on coming back, despite the consequences. Marcel came with Rebekah, and Elijah was there when mom died. Mom’s funeral is tomorrow, and the family can all be in New Orleans, without the city being at risk. I’ll be able to take comfort in knowing that the family is here tomorrow, without having to worry about Mom’s funeral being ruined.”

“That is ridiculous… none of us would even fathom ruining your mother’s funeral.”

“The mere fact that Kol _and_ Rebekah rushed back here when you told them mom was dead, despite knowing what would happen proves otherwise. I’m sorry Dad… while I had nothing to do with them being knocked out, I fully support it having happened.”

Before Klaus could say anything else, Freya came up behind him and knocked him out. Motioning to Josh and Aiden to grab Klaus’ body and bring him downstairs, Freya glanced up at her niece and gave a weak smile.

“Hope, Sweetie, I won’t be attending the funeral tomorrow. With the amount of magic that it’s taking to keep my siblings unconscious, I’m drained. I’m going to spend tomorrow resting. Ryan, Josh, and Aiden will be with you for the Memorial parade, Aiden and Keelin will be with you for the Honoring Ceremony tomorrow night. Then first thing the following morning, we should remove the Hollow from my siblings.” Freya said and Hope nodded as Ryan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’ll make sure everything is packed into the car while you’re at the Honoring Ceremony.” Ryan added.

“Has um, has anyone called Dr. Saltzman or Caroline?” Hope asked.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll make certain that I call them tomorrow.” Freya said.

“Thank you Aunt Freya.” Hope replied. “Um… please don’t tell them about the Hollow. I’ll tell them when I get to school. That seems like a conversation that would better be had in person.” She added.

“That might not be a good idea, Hope… we should tell them on the phone, while you’re still here.” Freya argued.

“No… I’m telling them in person. If they feel like it’s too dangerous for me to stay at the school, I’ll stay at Ryan’s and do my school stuff online.” Hope said.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not Aunt Freya?”

“Because Hope… you’re still a _minor_. I’ve been lenient this summer about it because you needed Ryan to distract you from thinking about your mom, and you two didn’t leave the house together until today. But going back to Mystic Falls and staying with him? If _anyone_ were to see you leaving his apartment, the Sheriff would be beating down Ryan’s door immediately.”

“She’s right, Hope… we can’t risk that.”

“Then we could just not tell them about the Hollow at all… unless it becomes absolutely pertinent that they know about it.”

“That’s not a good idea, either Princess. We don’t know how much the Hollow is going to affect you once you’ve taken her back into yourself, and it could put you on edge to the point where one small thing could set you off and you could hurt someone. They need to know sooner rather than later.”

Hope glanced between Ryan and Freya and let out a sigh. They were right. Alaric and Caroline _had_ to know before school started so that they could take the proper precautions if Hope ended up having an episode.

“Okay, fine… tell them when you talk to them on the phone. But tell them that I’ve already taken the Hollow back into myself… it’s a white lie, but if they think they have time to try and talk me out of it, Caroline will try and get here before hand to stop me.” Hope said.

“Okay.” Freya said with a nod.

“But if they say that it’s too dangerous for me to be at the school, then I’d very much like us to find a place in Mystic Falls, Aunt Freya, because it’ll keep me close to school for when we figure out a way to destroy the Hollow once and for all, and because New Orleans has never really felt like home to me. I know it’s where I was born, but I was conceived in Mystic Falls, and I’ve spent more than half of my life going to school there. And now with Ryan being in my life, it feels even more like home then being here does.”

“I’ll talk to Keelin but thank you for telling me how you feel. I’m sorry that your mother and I were always so dismissive of the idea without ever asking you why you wanted to make the move.”

“Aunt Freya… if I were to channel Vincent and Keelin, would you go into the Chambre? Making that the only magic you’d be exerting?”

“Let me talk to Keelin and I’ll let you know.”

Once Freya left the room, Hope turned to Ryan and wrapped her arms around his waist while burying her face in his chest. Now that everything was about to happen, it made it all the more real, and she was scared. No child should have to plan their own mother’s funeral at the age of 15. No child should have to face allowing the evil spirit of their ancestor to take back up residence in their body. Ryan simply held Hope as she clung to him. He hated that there wasn’t more he could do to help her, but the fact that she was still able to seek comfort in him meant the world to him.

“Hey… I think it’s time we go for that swim. It’s our last chance.” Ryan suggested.

“I kinda just want to go to bed.” Hope muttered against his chest.

“You’ll get to admire my body as the water drips down my chest. It might make for a nice drawing for you to work on.”

“Hm… okay… you swim, I draw. But I’m not putting my swimsuit on.”

“Fine by me… we’ve spent the day laying naked in bed… anything else just doesn’t measure up at this point.”

“So, um… I asked Keelin if, once she and Freya get married, if you could be my date to the wedding, and she said yes… so I was wondering… would that be something you’d like to do?”

“I’d be honored to escort you to the wedding.”

“Good… then I’ll have to ask Rebekah to help me find a dress that is both elegant and sexy. See how that measures up.”

Fully pulling back from Ryan’s embrace, Hope gave him a wink before walking around him to go grab her sketch pad from her room. Ryan stared after her for a few minutes with a dumbfounded look on his face. He had thought that having Hope naked in bed with him was the sexiest thing in the world, but here she was, implying that that wasn’t the case. And it intrigued Ryan. It wasn’t until Hope came back with her sketchbook and pencil that Ryan realized he had been staring off at nothing. Shaking himself out of his daze, and after placing a quick kiss to her forehead, Ryan hurried off to his room to change before joining her in the hallway and letting her lead him to the pool. Over the next hour, as Ryan swam, Hope stayed settled in one of the lounge chairs, capturing as many details as she could. When Ryan finally climbed out of the water, Hope was able to capture the details of his torso and face. She planned on using the different parts to compile them on the drive back to Mystic Falls.

“Did you get enough?” Ryan asked as he dried off.

“I think so. You are a very cooperative model, honey. Extremely easy to work with.” Hope replied with a smile as she flipped her sketchbook closed. “But now you need to take a shower, and we need to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long next couple of days.” She added.

“You need more sleep than I do.” Ryan commented.

“Yes, but tomorrow can still be a draining day for you, and then you have to do all of the driving the following day. And both days you’re going to be worried about me, and it won’t do us any good if you aren’t well rested.” Hope said.

“I supposed you’re right.” Ryan agreed as he bent down and captured Hope’s lips in a soft kiss.

“It’ll be nice being able to do that again without members of my family barging in on us.” Hope muttered into the kiss.

“Yes it will. But when we get home, it’ll be a different set of challenges.” Ryan reminded her.

“We managed for the first month and a half. We should be okay to manage going forward.” Hope replied.

“Except things are different now, Hope... the temptation to have each other will be heightened, given everything that we’ve done while here.” Ryan commented.

Hope sighed at that. She didn’t want there to be any more complications or roadblocks or whatever in her relationship with Ryan. They already had the biggest roadblock in their age difference. And the Hollow wasn’t going to make things easy on them going forward. By the time they reached her room, Hope was fully regretting not trying harder to find a way to stay in Mystic Falls with Ryan for the summer.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Hope woke the following morning with a pit in the bottom of her stomach. She was going to be saying goodbye to her mother that day and she was already feeling the crushing weight of that reality. She didn’t want to say goodbye to her mother. She shouldn’t be having too. Slipping out of bed, Hope glanced at Ryan and let out a sigh. He was so good to her, but she felt too damaged to deserve him. He was taking everything in stride and she couldn’t thank him enough for that. And even when told that Hayley had died, he was doing everything to keep his promise to her about not having sex with Hope until Hope turned 18. There had already been a handful of times in the last few months where he could have easily rolled a condom on when things were starting to get close and taken Hope’s virginity, but his self-control was strong enough that he simply stopped. Hope couldn’t help but admire that about her boyfriend. He wanted to honor her mother’s memory in the only way he could see to do, and that was to ensure Hope remained a virgin until she was an adult.

Grabbing her robe from her closet as her thoughts swirled and raged on in her head, Hope slipped it on and pulled her suitcases out of the closet as well. With as hectic as today and tomorrow were going to be, she needed to take the time that she had to pack so that Ryan would be able to pack that car up that night while she was in the Bayou for her mother’s Honoring Ceremony. Really, it was the _only_ time that she had. Because once she emerged from her room, she would have to try and eat something, go over final details of the funeral, and then head out. And then she would have to try and eat something _again_ for lunch before making her way to the Bayou. She needed to confront Henry about lying to her about her mother and demand an explanation as to why he waited a few days before telling the pack that her mom had been missing. There was literally no time to pack later in the day.

And then tomorrow wouldn’t be much better. Doing the extraction first thing in the morning with hopes that her family hadn’t figured out who had actually put them in the Chambre de Chasse and woke up before Vincent could do the extraction. And as soon as she had the Hollow back inside her, she and Ryan would be leaving New Orleans. Any extra time spent in New Orleans after she held all of the Hollow would put the entire city at risk, and Hope didn’t want to trigger her werewolf curse by killing all of New Orleans. As she was packing, her back to the bed, completely lost in her thoughts, Hope missed when Ryan woke up and got out of bed until he was wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a light kiss to her shoulder.

“How are you doing this morning, Princess?” Ryan whispered.

“Lost in thought. Everything is going to become completely real today. I’m going to be saying goodbye to mom for good by tonight and then tomorrow I’m taking an ancient, evil spirit back into myself to save the rest of my family and I won’t even be here when they wake up. And I have so much that’s happening today that I won’t have any other time to pack, so I figured I would pack this morning before everything starts happening.” Hope replied, rapidly blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“Are these pajamas, and all the ones that you bought that match, coming home with us?” Ryan asked.

“They were the first things that I packed. I know how much you appreciate seeing me in them.” Hope replied.

“Hope, Princess, you know that’s not all I care about, right? If you had said that you were leaving them here, I wouldn’t have been upset by that.” Ryan said as he turned Hope around to face him.

“It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me over the last two months.” Hope explained as she rested her hands on Ryan’s chest but didn’t meet his gaze.

“Hope, we’ve been over this already... the things that I do for you aren’t done with the expectation of a thanks in anyway. I do them because you are my world and I hate seeing you upset. If you don’t want to bring them home because you want to, then please don’t feel like you have to bring them home for me.” Ryan said while tilting Hope’s chin up.

“Ryan, just because I want to bring them home because I know you like them doesn’t negate me liking them. The two positions on this are not mutually exclusive from each other.” Hope replied.

“Good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I can do this...” Ryan said before leaning down and pressing his lips to Hope’s in a quick kiss. “Good morning, Princess.”

Hope wrapped her arms tightly around Ryan’s waist and buried her face in his chest. The second the kiss had ended, the tears had started and Hope couldn’t bring herself to allow Ryan to actually _see_ the tears. Hear them and feel them as they fell against his bare chest were one thing, but to have him see them was another matter altogether. She couldn’t pinpoint what made her even think it would happen, but something was nagging at the back of her mind that if Ryan saw her tears, he’d give her a pitying look, and she didn’t need pity... not from anyone, but especially not from her boyfriend.

“What can I do to ease your pain, Princess?” Ryan asked as he gently ran his fingers through Hope’s hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other.

“Just hold me. And don’t leave my side today unless Josh or Aiden is there.” Hope said as she pulled back slightly to wipe her tears away.

“I’m right here, Hope. I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever.”

“Thank you, Ryan.”

With a nod, Ryan pressed a lingering kiss to Hope’s forehead before turning to help her finish packing. They spent the next 30 minutes packing up Hope’s room in silence before they moved to Ryan’s room and packed up what little stuff he had there. By the time they got dressed and got downstairs for breakfast, Freya, Keelin and Vincent, along with Josh and Aiden, were all waiting for them. Hope glanced around at everyone one at a time before her eyes landed on Aiden once again. Out of all of them, he looked the grimmest.

“What happened?” Hope asked slowly, already regretting having asked, and dreading the answer.

“Henry ran off and when we found him, he’d had his heart ripped out. Clean through.” Aiden replied.

“What? Why would someone do that?” Hope inquired.

“He was a hybrid, Hope. Despite what happened with Greta, there are still vampire elitist in the Quarter. Ones that still believe in the vile propaganda that she had been spewing. There’s extraordinarily little doubt in anyone’s mind that it was one of Greta’s followers that did this.” Josh explained.

“But how would they have known about Henry?” Freya questioned. “The pack kept to themselves about what he had done, and there hasn’t been any reports of any attacks during the summer that would lead the vampires to believe the wolves would be involved.”

“Ask Roman. I’m sure as Greta’s son and already being a spy for her on me at school, he’d know about Henry being a hybrid, and he would have passed that information on.” Hope bit out.

“If that were the case, they would have gone after him sooner than this.” Freya replied dismissively.

“We don’t know that for sure, Freya.” Keelin commented. “We have no idea what these rogue vampires are capable of. There’s a chance that Hope is right and that Roman might have mentioned something. And now that their leader is dead, and the only funeral being held is for Hayley, they could have lashed out.”

“We should go talk to this Roman kid, see what he knows about Henry’s murder.” Aiden agreed.

“Can we...” Hope started before trailing off as tears blurred her vision.

“I know it’s bad that a kid was murdered so brutally, but can figuring out what happened to him wait until after Hope and I have left New Orleans? It’s roughly 24 more hours but Hope really needs all of us to help her get through the rest of today and tomorrow morning. Splitting the focus between Hayley’s funeral and solving Henry’s murder isn’t helpful.” Ryan said as he wrapped his arms around Hope’s waist from behind.

“You’re absolutely right, Ryan. We need to stay focused on what’s happening today and tomorrow morning and then we can shift our focus to Henry.” Keelin said.

“We need to call Dr. Saltzman and Caroline today more than ever. They need to know about Henry as well as the Hollow.” Hope said with a sigh.

“I said I’d call them.” Freya snapped and Hope recoiled back against Ryan’s embrace.

“Aunt Freya?” Hope asked slowly.

“You’ve been nothing but trouble for this family since you were conceived. And now you’re set to destroy us all. I want you out of my sight.” Freya snarled and lunged for Hope, only for Ryan to spin himself and Hope around so that he was blocking Hope while Keelin and Aiden held Freya back.

“Vincent... do something!” Hope cried.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Tears slid down Hope’s cheeks as Aiden carried Freya’s body down to the cells below the Abattoir to put her with her siblings. She had no idea what had taken over her aunt, and she was scared to find out. But that just meant that no matter what, Freya was going into the Chambre de Chasse with the others. 6 locks, 6 keys. Once Freya was secure, Hope wrote down where the different keys could be found handed it to Vincent. While it would be Hope herself constructing the Chambre, it was going to be with Vincent’s help now, and he would need to know what the Mikaelsons would be looking for to get out. It was at the last moment before Hope had to go back upstairs to get ready for the funeral that she thought of something else.

“Elijah has this mental maze of sorts where he keeps all of his memories. Once all of the keys have been found, I want the door to open to that. And the only way for them to wake up is for them to go through the doors containing Elijah’s memories of each of them.” Hope explained to Vincent as a shiver ran down her spine. She hadn’t thought about Elijah’s complex labyrinth since she’d gone into it to save her mom, but as she explained it now to Vincent, something hit her that brought Hope to her knees.

“Hope!?” Ryan called out as he rushed to her side.

“My... my mental break... _she_ killed Elijah... that’s what caused it... I... I don’t know how, but that’s how she got to me... she killed Elijah.” Hope whimpered as she stared blankly at her uncle’s lifeless body.

“I’ll make all the preparations, Hope. You just go do what you gotta do, and Ryan... don’t let her out of your sight or away from your side.” Vincent said solemnly.

With a nod, Ryan carried Hope back upstairs. As he started up to the main floor, he briefly heard Vincent tell Aiden to keep an eye on both of them.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

The Memorial Parade was nothing but a disaster. From the moment it started, nothing about it felt right to Hope. And from there everything just went downhill when Greta’s followers showed up to ruin everything. The anger welled up in Hope’s chest and the next thing she knew, everyone was running away, screaming, as a trio of black vans were all set on fire. It took Hope much longer than it should have to realize that she was the one that had set the fires. In the back of her mind, a small voice commented that Josie Saltzman would be gleeful over the flames, but Hope shut that voice out very quickly. She didn’t want to think about Josie. Or anyone other than her mother. Her mother who’s funeral had just been ruined by elitist vampires and only made worse when Hope had lost control. It scared her to think about what would happen if she lost control of her emotions once she had the Hollow back in her. But what brought her back, what grounded her in the here and now was Ryan gently taking her face in his hands and searching her eyes before pulling her into his arms. The rage quieted in Hope’s mind as she found herself comforted by the steading beating of Ryan’s heart. It took a bit for his murmured words of comfort to reach her ears and to register that he was saying anything at all.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Lunch was a tense time. Hope sat there, staring at her plate of food, having no appetite, and not even fully remembering putting any of the food onto her plate. Ryan sat to her right, rubbing her leg lightly under the table, but it didn’t do much. Josh was to her left, scarfing down food like he was the wolf in his relationship, not Aiden, but it was the dark red liquid in his glass that was really making Hope lose her appetite, knowing full well that it wasn’t red wine that he was drinking. The Mikaelson family was nothing if not classy about how they so covertly consumed blood in front of non-vampires, and those close to the family had picked up on that habit. Aiden was on the other side of Josh, at one of the heads of the table, continuously eyeing Hope before glancing at Keelin and carrying on a silent conversation. Neither wolf knew how to the convince Hope that she needed to eat something before the Honoring Ceremony that evening. Keelin sat across the table from Hope, going between having a silent conversation with Aiden, to having a silent conversation with Vincent, to having a silent conversation with Ryan. At the opposite head of the table from Aiden was Vincent. When he wasn’t having a silent conversation with Keelin, he was pouring over the grimoires to make sure everything for the following morning would go according to plan. While it hadn’t actually been discussed before Freya had lashed out that morning, it was now silently agreed upon that Hope would, in fact, be channeling Vincent and Keelin while putting her family into the Chambre de Chasse.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

When Hope arrived at the Bayou with Aiden and Keelin, the pack kept their distance. Most of them were giving her pitying looks, which she hated; while others were looking at her with distrust, contempt or just flat out hatred. One wolf in particular was Henry’s guardian. As if she blamed Hope for Henry becoming a hybrid and ultimately getting killed. Hope made a beeline for the woman and leveled her with a hard stare.

“What is your problem?” Hope growled.

“Henry’s dead because of you.” The woman replied sharply.

“And my mother couldn’t be saved because Henry waited days before saying _anything_ to _anyone_ about my mom, your _Alpha_ , being missing. But I was not the one that turned Henry into a Hybrid. He did that on his own. I was not the one that ripped his heart out, as I’ve been at my family’s home, mourning the death of my mom.” Hope snapped.

“Hayley Kenner was no longer our pack’s alpha.”

“ _Labonair_.” Hope hissed. “She was a Labonair. And so am I. And if _anyone_ has a problem with my mother choosing to live as a hybrid after her throat was slashed immediately after she was forced into labor and died with _my_ blood in her system, then you can leave. If you stay, show some goddamn respect.”

“You have no right to talk to us like that. You are not a member of this pack.”

Hope growled and her hands clenched into fists at her sides, ready to start throwing punches when Aiden stepped in.

“Lisina, Hope is the pack’s next Alpha by birth. She might not have triggered her curse yet, but she is just as much a part of this pack, if not more, than anyone else. Her ancestry, her bloodlines, from both Hayley and Klaus can be traced back to the beginning of the werewolf packs. It is unwise to antagonize her.” Aiden said, placing himself between the two women.

“Henry was killed because of her.” The woman, Lisina, said.

“No, Lisina, he wasn’t. If you won’t believe Hope, believe me, she had nothing to do with Henry’s deaths. She did not supply him blood to take before become a hybrid, or to take afterwards to complete the transition. She did not out him to the vampires that are believed to have killed him. We have a lead that we will follow up on tomorrow, and we will deal with the culprit, or culprits, upon finding him or her or them.” Aiden insisted.

“Why wait?” Lisina questioned. “My boy had his heart ripped out of his chest and his body was left for anyone to find it.”

“Tonight we are here to honor Hayley’s memory. First thing in the morning I will personally look into the lead that I have about what happened to Henry. If you do not wish to be here to honor Hayley, you are not obligated to stay. I understand that you, yourself, are grieving a loss, but I believe that the vampires responsible for what happened to Henry chose today to act to sow discord amongst the pack. Do not give them the satisfaction of allowing that to happen.”

With a stiff nod, Lisina shifted her gaze from Aiden to Hope before walking away. Despite the plan that the ceremony would start once the moon had risen, given the tension in the air, Aiden thought it would be better to start sooner. And while he didn’t mention it to anyone else in the pack, he made it known to Hope and Keelin that it was also to give Hope as much time to rest before what was set to happen the following morning as possible. Hope gave Aiden an appreciative smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She hated that she was just a kid that had all this weight on her shoulders. Burdens that no 15 year old should ever have to deal with. Just before the ceremony actually started, however, Hope noticed her mom’s necklace on the ceremony raft and quickly grabbed it before anyone noticed. When Aiden started the ceremony, Hope was looking out onto the water, trying not to cry, when a pair of familiar hands came to rest on her shoulders and gently rubbed her upper arms. Leaning back into Ryan’s embrace, Hope let the tears fall, completely zoning out what was happening around her. When the ceremony came to end a bit later, Hope turned around in Ryan’s embrace and gave him a curious look.

“I know I promised to only leave your side today if Josh or Aiden were there, but I thought you might need me. Plus... Keelin called. She told me about what happened when you got here. So I came.” Ryan explained as he brushed Hope’s hair out of her face.

“Thank you for coming.” Hope whispered while wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

“Of course, Princess. There’s no place I’d rather be than right here with you when you need me.” Ryan replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Hope’s head.

“Can we go home now?” Hope asked.

“If that’s what you want. It’s been a long and trying day for you and you need to get as much rest as possible before tomorrow morning.”

Hope nodded as Ryan wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her towards the car that he had borrowed to get to the Bayou. As they passed Aiden and Keelin, Hope stopped quickly to give each of them a quick hug before letting Ryan guide her to the car. As soon as she slid into the passenger seat, Hope recognized the car.

“This is Josh’s car, right?” Hope asked.

“Yeah. He’s back at the Compound, doing what he can to help Vincent get everything ready for tomorrow morning and he said that I could use the car to get out here, since my car is definitely not equipped to drive through the Bayou.” Ryan replied.

“That was nice of him.” Hope commented.

“I’m sure it was more for your benefit that he offered than mine.”

“I don’t think that’s entirely true. I honestly think that both Josh and Aiden consider you a friend. So knowing Josh, he probably did it for both our benefits.”

“What’s that in your hand?”

“Oh... it was my mom’s necklace. I think she said that my step-dad gave it to her on their wedding day. I couldn’t let it be set on fire with everything else on the raft to honor my mom. I need something that was hers to make sure I never forget her.”

“Hope, I don’t think you’ll ever forget your mother. She raised you most of your life when your father couldn’t be around. Most of who you are as a person, and a woman, you got from her.”

“You barely knew her, so how can you be so confidant in that?”

“Because I know you. And from what you’ve told me of your parents, your caring nature and most of your other qualities couldn’t have come from your father. From what I know of you, Princess, you are very much your mother’s daughter and from that alone, you’ll never forget her.”

Hope bit her lower lip and turned to look out the window as they fell into silence. Right before they were about to exit the Bayou, Hope turned off the car and unbuckled her seatbelt before climbing over the center console and straddling Ryan’s lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair, Hope pressed her lips to Ryan’s in a soft, but insistent kiss, running her tongue along his lower lip, seeking entrance to his mouth. Despite his concern about where this sudden need for physical intimacy was coming from, Ryan granted Hope access and let her control the kiss, surprise sparking it’s way through his body when she made no move to progress the kiss into anything more. Wrapping his arms tightly around Hope’s back, Ryan held her close as the kiss continued, deepening it only to the point of cradling the back of her head until she pulled back, leaving one last peck on his lips as she searched his eyes for something unknown to him. Whatever she was looking for, Hope seemed to find it and untangled herself from Ryan’s arms to climb back into the passenger seat. After putting her seatbelt back on, she restarted the car and Ryan reached across the console to intertwine their fingers together, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Morning came much too soon. When they’d gotten back to the house from the Bayou, Ryan had insisted that Hope take a warm bath before they went to bed, but as Hope stirred awake from a nightmare of the extraction going very, very wrong, that insistence seemed like it was just a little bit ago, and not nearly 9 hours. But there was nothing that Hope could do about it now. Vincent had her family ready to go, with all the symbols drawn onto the floor on how she needed to get the Hollow out of them, and as soon as she was dressed for the day, they would be starting, and by nightfall, she and Ryan would be halfway back to Mystic Falls, the full Hollow residing in Hope once again. And that thought alone had Hope bolting towards the bathroom. She knew she was stronger now than she had been at 7 years old, but that just meant that the Hollow would be stronger if she managed to take control of Hope’s mind.

Hunched over the toilet was how Ryan found Hope 20 minutes later. Grabbing a washcloth, Ryan wet it with cool water and placed it against Hope’s forehead as he guided her back into his embrace and wrapped his arms around her middle. Once the slight tremors running through Hope’s body subsided, Ryan shifted their position so that he could stand up and help Hope to her feet. He had no idea what to expect from the next few hours, but he was determined to be there for his girlfriend no matter what. Once they got dressed, Ryan pulled Hope in for a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You know I’m here for you, right?” Ryan murmured.

“I know. And I can’t thank you enough for that.” Hope replied with a shaky sigh.

“No thanks is necessary, Hope. You’re my girlfriend, and I will never not want to be by your side while you’re going through a difficult time.” Ryan said.

Hope gave a nod and intertwined their fingers together while glancing around her room. Other than the bed, which was made really quick with a simple spell, the room looked just as it had when she’d gotten down to New Orleans at the beginning of the summer. Hope felt herself wishing that she could go back to that moment, so that nothing bad had happened. She would have spent more time with her mom, interacted more with the pack, she wouldn’t have said all of those horrible things, she wouldn’t have had to say goodbye to the woman who gave her life. She would have been a normal 15 year old girl that just so happened to have magic running through her veins. Feeling the on verge of tears once again, Hope clutched Ryan’s hand tightly and turned away from her room. There was no spell to go back in time like in Harry Potter. No device that would allow her to relive her last moments with her mom. That wasn’t reality. That was fiction. Reality was that her mother was dead, and she was about to take an ancient evil out of the rest of her family before fleeing the city with her boyfriend. Back to, what she hoped, was the safe haven of Mystic Falls. The only place she’d ever felt like home.

**Legacies – YME – Legacies**

Hope waited just outside the room for Vincent to wake her family up. They needed to see him before she did the spell that sent them into the Chambre de Chasse. All she wanted to do was to run into the room and hug her father, but even just standing outside the room would be bad enough. Being in the middle of her entire family would be downright horrible. The only thing that was keeping her from pacing back and forth and potentially missing her moment to send her family into the Chambre de Chasse was Ryan being there with her.

“Vincent... what is the meaning of all of this!?”

Hope cringed as her father’s voice carried out to her. That was her cue. She needed to do this. And she needed to do it now. Now or never... and never wasn’t an option. Never meant the destruction of New Orleans. Taking a deep breath, Hope glanced up at Ryan and leaned in for a quick kiss before turning towards the doorway. With a muttered spell, her family all fell where they stood: her father, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, Freya, Marcel. They were all down and Hope rushed into the room and to Vincent’s side.

“Now what?” Hope asked frantically.

“You channel me and Keelin and you extract the Hollow from your family.” Vincent replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“I... I don’t know if I can do this, Vincent...” Hope trailed off.

“You can’t back out now, Princess. You’re doing this to save your family. You can do this. I believe in you.” Ryan said from the other side of the doorway.

“He’s right, Hope. You can do this. We _all_ believe in you.” Keelin added with a nod.

With a nod, Hope took another deep, yet shaky, breath and closed her eyes. She could do this. Her family had each taken a part of the Hollow into them to save her, and now she was taking it all back to save them. Moving to the center of the circle that her family made, Hope started the extraction spell, pulling energy from Vincent and Keelin when necessary and occasionally glancing towards the door to where Ryan waited with Josh and Aiden. When Hope finally found what she was looking for in each of her family members, she was met with resistance at first, but when the Hollow recognized Hope, all the ancient witch’s power came rushing back into Hope’s mind and it quickly became overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that had it not been for Vincent and Keelin, Hope was sure she would have passed out.

And then just as soon as all of the Hollow had rushed into Hope’s mind, everything came to a stand still. Hope turned around slowly, taking in each of her family members. While it was probably crazy to think it, now that they were all free of the Hollow, they all seemed more relaxed than they had been in the last 7 years. Everything started moving again once Hope looked at her father and she swayed where she stood. Vincent moved quickly to steady her, calling for Ryan, but everything sounded far away. As Ryan easily lifted Hope into his arms, she managed a weak smile of gratitude towards Vincent and Keelin before Ryan was carrying her out of the room and towards the car. Almost as soon as Ryan had her situated in the passenger seat, Hope slipped into unconsciousness. With a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips, Ryan leaned down to press a kiss to Hope’s forehead before pulling back and moving around to the driver’s side, being stopped just before climbing into the driver’s seat by Vincent and Keelin.

“Take care of her, Ryan.” Keelin said.

“That’s not something you ever need to ask me to do. I’ll always take care of her.” Ryan replied.

“She might not be the same when she wakes up.” Vincent warned.

“I know.” Ryan commented with a grim nod.

“Any ideas how you’re going to proceed if she’s not her?” Keelin asked.

“Not a clue, but I’ll figure it out if that happens.” Ryan said as he glanced over his shoulder at Hope.

“If you need anything, go ahead and give us a call. You’re family now Ryan, and if you gain nothing else from being in Hope’s life, you’ve gain family that will do anything to help you.” Keelin said as she pulled Ryan in for a hug.

“There is one thing that I need to ask... Freya had offered to call Hope’s school and give them a heads up about the whole situation... do either of you know if she did that before we had to put her under?” Ryan asked, pulling back.

“I heard her on the phone yesterday afternoon, everything is all sorted out. They have a place to move Hope if she has an outburst.” Vincent said.

“Okay. Well... we should get going. The longer Hope is in New Orleans with all of the Hollow inside her, the more at risk the city is in. Thank you both for everything that you’ve done for Hope and me this summer. I really appreciate it all.” Ryan said giving Keelin another hug and shaking Vincent’s hand.

“Any time, son.” Vincent replied with a nod.

“As I said Ryan, you’re family now.” Keelin agreed.

With a final nod, Ryan broke away from them and climbed into the driver’s seat of his car. Putting the key into the ignition, he took a deep breath and glanced over at Hope, silently praying that when she did wake up, she would be herself. He had no idea if he would even be able to tell if it were Hope or the Hollow, but he could only hope that he knew his girlfriend well enough after 4 months that he would be able to tell. Taking her hand in his, Ryan pressed a kiss to Hope’s knuckles and started the car. It was a long drive back to Mystic Falls, and they were short on time. Hope would have to go back to school within a week.


End file.
